Prisoners  of* 
the  Sea 


Florence  M.  Kindsley 


*WT  ,r 


..     - 


Prisoners  of 
the  Sea 


A  Romance  of  the 
Seventeenth  Century 


By  Florence  Morse  Kingsley 

Author  of  "Titus,'* 
"Stephen**  and  " Paul" 


Philadelphia : 

DAVID  McKAY,  Publisher 
1897 


COPYRIGHT,  1897,  by 
FLORENCE  MORSE  KINGSLEY 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Adrift,  , I 

II.  An  Ocean  Mystery, .  5 

III.  L' Esperance, n 

IV.  The  Chateau  on  the  Island, 19 

V.  The  Castellan, 25 

VI.  A  Relief  Party, 33 

VII.  The  Garden  of  Roses, 42 

VIII.  Eheu!       51 

IX.  A  Cry  in  the  Night, 6l 

X.  Kidnapped, 70 

XL  H.  M.  S.  Conqueror, 79 

XII.  A  Huguenot, 89 

XIII.  At  Warham  Castle, 99 

XIV.  A  Midnight  Visitor, 109 

XV.  The  Escape, .  117 

XVI.  The  Pines, 124 

XVII.  In  the  Crow's  Nest, 133 

XVIII.  In  the  Hands  of  the  Enemy, 143 

XIX.  A  Confession, 152 

XX.  In  Presence  of  the  Governor, 161 

XXI.  A  Friend  in  Need, 170 

XXII.  The  Betrothal,     ...        179 

XXIII.  Missing,   .  ". 189 

XXIV.  How  it  Happened, 189 

XXV.  Underground, 206 

XXVI.  The  Sentries 214 

XXVII.  At  Sea, 223 

(iii) 


2061979 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGB 

XXVIII.     Master  and  Man, 230 

XXIX.     The  Pirates, 238 

XXX.     The  Captain  of  the  Rouge  et  Noir 246 

XXXI.     A  Voice  out  of  the  Storm 254 

XXXII.     Peril  Aloft, 262 

XXXIII.     The  Signal  Gun, 270 

XXXIV.     Bovet, 278 

XXXV.     The  Prisoners 287 

XXXVI.     A  Storm  at  Sea, 297 

XXXVII.     AtTerciora, 3°4 

XXXVIII.     Georges  Mendon  of  Paris, 313 

XXXIX.     The  Departure, 323 

XL.     Without  Compass, 331 

XLI.     Financial  Transactions, 341 

XLII.     More  Financial  Transactions, 350 

XLIII.     The  Haunted  Terrace, 359 

XLIV.     The  Ruins, 368 

XLV.     Tokens, 377 

XLVI.     Marooned, 38S 

XLVII.     The  King  of  the  Island, 393 

XLVIII.     Shadows, 4°3 

XLIX.     A  Niche  in  the  Wall, 4*3 

L.     Found  and  Lost, 422 

LI.      "  L' Esperance  "  Again, 43° 

LII.     Off  the  Island, 438 

LIII.     The  Man  on  the  Raft, 446 

LIV.     In  Port, 453 

LV.     The  Castaway's  Story, 464 

APPENDIX,     < 479 


(iv) 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 


CHAPTER  I 

ADRIFT 

THERE  were  five  persons  in  the  boat,  three  men  and 
two  women.  The  faces  of  the  women  were  bowed 
upon  their  knees,  but  the  three  men  stared  fixedly  at  a 
black  shapeless  mass  which  lay  rising  and  falling  upon 
the  long  Atlantic  rollers  about  an  eighth  of  a  mile  away. 
Certain  jagged  protrusions  here  and  there  about  the 
mass  and  the  tangle  of  broken  cordage  which  streamed 
out  dismally  upon  the  night  wind,  suggested  that  this 
dubious  object  might  once  have  been  a  ship.  Besides 
the  boat  and  the  low -lying  mass  of  wreckage  there  was 
no  hint  of  human  presence  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach. 

"  She's  going  now  !"  exclaimed  one  of  the  watchers 
suddenly  in  a  loud  husky  whisper. 

The  woman  nearest  him  threw  up  her  head  with  a 
sharp  cry.  As  if  in  answer  to  the  cry  the  wreck  leapt 
upward  convulsively  then  disappeared  amid  a  sudden 
fury  of  boiling  surges. 

The  death  struggle  of  a  ship  in  mid-ocean  is  an  awe- 
some sight,  awesome  enough  if  one  be  safe  and  sound 
on  the  deck  of  a  staunch  vessel,  but  if  there  be  but  the 
flimsy  shell  of  a  skiff  betwixt  the  beholder  and  the 
r  i 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

eternity  of  waters  beneath,  then  indeed  does  the  breath 
come  hard,  and  the  puny  heartbeat  well  nigh  cease. 

For  some  minutes  after  the  disappearance  of  the  wreck 
no  one  of  the  five  persons  who  had  witnessed  the  catas- 
trophe uttered  a  sound.  With  eyes  fixed  blankly  upon 
the  spot  where  the  vessel  had  gone  down  each  sat  as  if 
frozen  in  his  place. 

After  a  time  the  man  in  the  middle  of  the  boat  gave 
vent  to  a  short  sound,  half  groan,  half  snort.  "Wall, 
friends  !"  he  ejaculated  slowly,  "  She's  gone  down,  and 
the  crew's  gone  down — saving  the  three  of  us.  The 
tarnal  fools,  they've  gone  whar  they  belong!"  His 
voice  died  away  into  a  husky  whisper.  Then  he  began 
again  in  a  loud  defiant  tone,  "Yes,  gone  whar  they 
belong,  cap'n  and  all !  God  A' mighty  kin  take  care 
of  cowards  as  'ull  desert  their  ship  and  them  as  is  help- 
less. '  Will  you  leave  the  women?'  says  I  to  the  cap'n. 
*  Let'em  go  to  heaven,  and  be  damned  to  you,  sir  !'  he 
yells  in  my  ear  and  jumps  into  the  boat  after  the  others. 
I  heard  their  death  scream  a  cable's  length  and  I 
laughed  to  hear  it.  Yes  sir,  I  did  !  Didn't  I  tell' em 
no  boat  'ud  live  in  that  boiling  hell  of  water  ?  Didn't  I 
say,  'Stand  by  the  ship  and  the  ship  'ull  stand  by 
you?'  '  The  speaker's  voice  rose  to  a  shrill  quavering 
cry  and  he  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a  wild  gesture,  but 
the  man  behind  him  laid  hold  on  his  seaman's  jacket 
with  no  gentle  hand. 

"Come,  Winters,  sit  down,  sit  down  !  it  won't  help 
matters  to  tip  the  boat  over. ' ' 

The  man  addressed  as  Winters  sat  down  and  seized 
his  oars.  "What's  your  further  orders,  sir?"  he 
growled  without  turning  his  head. 

"My   orders?"    repeated    the    other    meditatively. 


ADRIFT 

"We  had  best  eat  something,  I  suppose.  After  that — 
Yes,  decidedly  we  must  eat.  Cato,  hand  up  some  food 
for  the  women." 

This  last  remark  was  addressed  to  the  third  man  of 
the  party — a  negro,  who  sat  flat  upon  the  bottom  of 
the  boat,  surrounded  by  a  heap  of  miscellaneous  articles. 

The  old  sailor  shook  his  head  slowly.  "A  bad  busi- 
ness," he  muttered  to  himself.  "I  wish  the  women 
was  safe  out  of  it.  Thank  God  they  ain't  the  cryin' 
kind — neither  mother  nor  daughter."  He  leaned  for- 
ward and  addressed  himself  to  the  silent  figures  in  the 
stern  in  what  was  meant  to  be  a  soothing  and  concilia- 
tory tone.  "  Be  you  feelin'  much  scairt  now,  ma'am? 
Feelin'  scairt  won't  help  us  any,  if  you'll  excuse  me  for 
sayin'  so.  Jack  Winters  wasn't  built  to  be  drowned,  I 
reckon.  I've  had  a  heap  of  luck  in  shipwrecks  and 
that's  a  fact."  The  speaker  paused  and  laid  a  cautious 
forefinger  on  the  bowed  shoulder  nearest  him.  "  Mebbe 
she's  asleep." 

"  No,  I  am  not  asleep,"  said  a  sweet  clear  voice,  the 
English  words  spoken  slowly  and  with  a  decided  foreign 
accent.  "  But  I — ah,  what  will  become  of  us?" 

"Wall,  now,  that  I  can't  rightly  tell  you,  miss;  but 
Lord  love  ye,  ma'am,  there's  land  in  these  here  parts 
and  there's  vessels — in  course  there's  vessels!  wa'n't 
our  ship  here  a  spell  ago?  to-morrow,  mebbe,  'ull  see 
us  on  the  way  to  Ameriky  with  a  better  ship  under  us 
than  The  White  GW/with  all  her  feathers  on." 

The  old  man  faltered  a  little  as  if  his  confident  words 
had  choked  him  in  the  utterance.  The  other  woman  had 
raised  her  head  and  was  regarding  him  earnestly.  "  You 
hear  what  this  good  man  is  saying,  Madeline ;  there  is 
yet  hope  that  we  may  be  saved." 

3 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Hope  !"  roared  the  sailor,  "  in  course  there's  hope  ! 
Who  says  there  ain't?  While  there's  life,  there's  hope, 
my  hearties  ! — I  mean  ma'am.  Young  Baillot  here 
knows  every  word  I've  said  is  Gospel  truth,  there  is 
land  and  there  is  vessels,  mebbe  not  ten  miles  distant ; 
more'n  that  the  sea's  calm  as  a  milkpan,  we've  water 
aboard  and — What'd  you  say,  sir?" 

' '  That  we  must  eat  now,  and  then  take  what  rest  we 
may  till  morning.  We  may  need  all  our  strength  to 
reach  the  land  you  speak  of,  Winters."  The  young 
man  stepped  cautiously  past  the  sailor  as  he  spoke,  and 
silently  proffered  a  cup  of  water  and  a  basin  filled  with 
sea  biscuit  to  the  two  women. 

The  girl  laid  her  hand  impulsively  upon  his  arm. 
"Tell  me,  monsieur,"  she  began,  then  stopped  ab- 
ruptly. "  I  forget — "  she  faltered  drawing  back.  "  But 
the  English,  I  know  it  so  little — is  it  possible  that  we 
have  any  chance  of  safety  ?  You  also  are  a  sailor  and 
a  brave  man — ah,  how  brave,  since  you  did  not  abandon 
us  to  our  fate  in  the  storm ;  tell  us  shall  we  be  safe  ?' ' 

"  We  are  in  no  present  danger,"  replied  the  young 
man  looking  down  into  the  dark  eyes  which  were  lifted 
appealingly  to  his.  ''As  for  to-morrow,  who  can  say. 
We  are  in  God's  hands."  He  said  these  words  in  the 
French  language. 

"You  are  then — one  of  us?"  It  was  the  older 
woman  who  spoke. 

"  I  am  a  Huguenot,  madame. " 

At  this  avowal  the  girl  gave  a  little  cry  of  joy  and 
surprise,  but  the  other  only  bowed  her  head. 

"We  are  in  God's  hands,"  she  repeated  gravely. 


CHAPTER  II 

AN    OCEAN    MYSTERY 

TOWARDS  midnight  the  fog  which  had  for  some  hours 
been  creeping  about  the  horizon  closed  in  upon  them, 
bringing  with  it  a  cold  penetrating  drizzle,  while  the 
wind  freshened  so  considerably  that  an  occasional  dash 
of  spray  broke  completely  over  the  boat. 

"It's  turned  a  nasty  night,  sir,  and  no  mistake," 
observed  Winters,  buttoning  his  jacket  tightly  about 
him.  "  There'll  be  precious  little  sleep  for  the  crew  of 
this  craft  to-night." 

The  old  sailor  had  apparently  recovered  his  spirits  by 
this  time,  and  handled  his  oars  with  as  much  unconcern 
as  if  he  were  in  charge  of  a  pleasure  excursion.  "  Here 
you,  Cato  !"  he  bawled.  "  Catch  on  to  that  saucepan 
and  heave  some  of  this  water  overboard;  we'll  be 
swamped  if  we  ain't  keerful." 

Hours  passed,  the  boat  wrapped  in  a  smother  of  fog 
and  night,  lashed  by  the  keen  whips  of  the  flying  crests, 
laboriously  climbed  the  long  sides  of  the  crinkling  hills 
of  green  water  which  thrust  themselves  forward  with 
monotonous  regularity  out  of  the  darkness,  only  to  feel 
her  way  into  the  yawning  valleys  between  with  irresolute 
pauses  and  sudden  shivers  as  if  she  were  minded  to  give 
up  the  unequal  struggle. 

"The  water's  about  my  ankles,"  growled  Winters  at 
length.  "  Quit  rowing,  mate,  and  bear  a  hand  with  the 
bailing.  I  can  hold  her  up  to  the  sea. ' ' 

5 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"May  I  not  bail?"  cried  a  clear  voice  from  the 
stern.  "lam  chilled  and  stiff  with  inaction.  I  must 
do  something  to  help." 

"  Let  her  be  !"  roared  Winters,  as  the  young  Hugue- 
not began  a  remonstrance.  "  She'll  be  better  astir,  and 
with  something  to  limber  her  up  a  bit.  Give  her  the 
panikin  from  under  the  bench,  and  God  help  the  poor 
lass  to  be  nimble  with  it." 

The  regular  sound  of  the  basin  as  it  struck  the  bottom 
of  the  boat  showed  that  the  girl  had  set  about  her  task 
with  vigor. 

"Bravo,  miss!"  cried  Winters  at  length.  "Hold 
hard,  and  rest  awhile,  the  water's  gone  down  a  good 
bit  since  you  began  to  ply  that  panikin.  The  dawn's 
at  hand  now,  and  please  God,  the  breeze' 11  quiet 
down." 

The  old  sailor  was  right ;  before  many  minutes  a  faint 
gray  light  began  to  struggle  through  the  fog  which 
still  enveloped  them.  Cheered  by  the  sight  Madeline 
fell  to  bailing  again,  though  she  was  wet  to  the  knees, 
and  the  heavy  masses  of  her  hair,  which  had  become 
loosened  as  she  worked,  fell  all  about  her  shoulders. 

"  Madeline,  child,"  said  her  mother  anxiously,  push- 
ing aside  her  encumbering  wraps,  ' '  let  me  take  the 
basin  for  awhile.  You  must  rest. ' ' 

"  No,  madame,"  said  Baillot  decidedly,  "  forgive  me 
for  having  yielded  to  Winters  here ;  mademoiselle 
should  not  have  undertaken  such  a  task." 

"Don't  fret  yourself  about  Winters,"  growled  the 
old  sailor,  evidently  displeased  at  this  speech.  "  It's 
not  hurt  the  young  lady,  and  she's  done  a  good  stroke 
of  work,  which  may  save  us  all  in  the  end." 

"Indeed  you  are  right,  sir!"  exclaimed  Madeline. 
6 


AN  OCEAN  MYSTERY 

"I  am  quite  able  to  go  on  with  it  too,"  she  added 
stoutly. 

"  Of  that  there  is  no  need  at  present,"  said  Baillot, 
taking  the  basin  from  her  reluctant  hand.  "The  boat 
has  ceased  to  ship  water  for  the  present." 

An  hour  later  the  fog  had  entirely  vanished,  and 
there  was  nothing  to  hinder  a  clear  view  of  the  narrow 
horizon  about  them,  a  floor  of  dancing  waves,  foam- 
crested,  closed  in  upon  by  the  cloudless  dome  of  a  pale 
blue  sky. 

"We're  too  low  in  the  water  to  see  anything," 
observed  the  young  man  impatiently  to  Winters,  who 
was  standing  at  his  side.  "  Our  circle  of  vision  seems 
no  larger  than  a  dinner  plate. ' ' 

"  Ay,  a  lofty  perch  on  the  mast,  with  a  good  hull 
rolling  beneath  were  more  to  my  liking,"  replied  the 
sailor  with  a  chuckle.  "  But  what  make  you  of  yonder 
speck !  My  eyes  are  rheumy  for  lack  of  sleep,  but 
thar's  something  thar." 

Baillot  looked  keenly  in  the  direction  to  which  the 
old  man  pointed.  At  first  he  could  see  nothing  but  the 
dazzling  play  of  the  sunlit  waters,  but  at  length  he  too 
seemed  to  make  out  something  which  appeared,  as  the 
sailor  had  said,  like  a  speck  on  the  extreme  verge  of 
the  horizon. 

"I  see  it,  Winters,"  he  said  at  length,  "and  since 
we  have  nothing  better  to  do  this  morning,  let  us  make 
for  it.  What  do  you  think  it  is  ?' ' 

"Wall,  sir,'  said  Winters  slowly,  "you  can't  find 
out  from  me  ;  it  may  be  a  rock,  it  may  be  a  floating 
mass  of  wreckage.  But  as  you  say,  we  might  as  well  go 
that  way  as  any  for  aught  I  see. ' ' 

For  some  time  the  two  bent  vigorously  to  the  oars, 
7 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

then  Baillot  again  stood  up  to  ascertain  the  position  of 
the  distant  object.  "  We  have  either  fallen  off  a  couple 
of  points,"  he  observed,  "  or  our  rock  is  afloat ;  it  has 
changed  its  position  since  I  last  looked. ' ' 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Madame  de  Langres  anxi- 
ously ;  "  have  you  sighted  land  ?' ' 

"Alas,  no,  madame,"  replied  the  young  man.  "It 
can  be  no  object  of  very  great  size ;  but  as  our  course  is 
one  of  chance,  we  have  determined  to  find  out  what 
yonder  black  fleck  on  the  horizon  is. ' ' 

"  I  can  see  nothing,"  said  Madame  de  Langres  after 
a  prolonged  gaze  in  the  direction  which  the  young 
man  had  indicated. 

"I  can!"  cried  the  young  girl,  who  was  standing 
up  and  shading  her  eyes  with  her  hand  from  the 
dazzling  sunlight,  "  and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  moves 
about!" 

"You  are  right,  miss,"  exclaimed  Winters.  "It 
does  move  about !  Unless  I  am  mistaken,  yonder  object 
is  the  hull  of  a  vessel.  Of  a  wreck  mayhap  ;  but  there 
may  be  that  about  her  which  we  shall  find  useful. ' ' 

The  two  men  again  fell  to  their  oars,  the  negro 
keeping  steadily  at  his  work  of  bailing,  for  the  boat,  it 
appeared,  was  leaking  badly.  "  I  hope  to  de  Lawd," 
he  was  muttering,  "  dat  we'll  git  quit  ob  dis  boat  before 
night.  Ol'  Cato  can't  keep  up  dis  yer  bailin'  much 
longer. ' ' 

They  were  now  rapidly  nearing  the  object  of  their 
search  ;  the  old  sailor  was  right  in  his  conjecture,  it  was 
a  hull,  apparently  that  of  a  small  vessel,  lying  low  in 
the  water,  and  rising  and  falling  on  the  long  ocean  swell. 

"It  has  masts!"  exclaimed  Madeline  presently, 
— "  two  of  them,  but  I  see  no  sails." 

I 


AN  OCEAN  MYSTERY 

At  this  intelligence  the  men  dropped  their  oars. 

"Ay,  masts  she  has  !"  cried  Winters.  "  And  as  deli- 
cate as  a  lady's  finger.  Vender's  no  wreck,  but  blow  me 
if  I  can  make  her  out !  She's  like  no  craft  I  ever  saw  at 
sea.  Give  way,  man  !  we'll  soon  find  out  what  she  is." 

Half  an  hour  more  of  hard  pulling  brought  them 
within  hailing  distance  ;  and  Baillot,  standing  up  in  the 
bow  of  the  boat,  and  making  a  trumpet  of  his  hands, 
shouted : 

' '  Ship,  ahoy  !     Ship,  ahoy  ! ' ' 

He  paused  and  waited,  but  no  sign  of  life  appeared 
about  the  vessel. 

Again  rang  out  the  long  musical  cry  across  the  water : 
' '  Ship,  ahoy  !  Ship,  ahoy  ! ' ' 

"Can  we  not  go  nearer?"  cried  Madeline,  her  eyes 
shining  like  stars  in  her  excitement.  ' '  Surely  there 
can  be  nothing  to  harm  us  !" 

The  little  vessel,  with  its  dark  green  hull,  its  slender 
masts,  against  which  lay  the  neatly  furled  sails,  its  glit- 
tering brass  work,  and  the  delicate  web-like  tracery  of 
its  rigging,  looked  like  a  fairy  craft. 

The  old  sailor  sat  staring  at  her,  his  eyes  bulging  out 
of  his  head,  his  mouth  open.  "Wall,  I'll  be  everlast- 
ingly blowed  if  I  can  make  her  out !"  he  ejaculated  at 
length.  "  I've  seed  her  like  on  the  Thames,  I'm  think- 
ing. 'Tis  a  pleasure  yacht !  But  how  did  she  come 
here?  Why  ain't  she  blowed  to  pieces  with  the  hur- 
ricane? Whar's  the  folks  what  sail  her?" 

' '  There  must  be  some  one  on  board, ' '  said  Madame 
de  Langres,  with  manifest  excitement.  "  Perhaps  they 
are  below." 

"Z" Esperance  /"  cried  Madeline,  as  she  caught  sight 
of  the  gilded  letters  which  ran  about  the  bow. 

9 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Z1 Esperanee  /"  echoed  Madame  de  Langres.  "  Are 
we  all  dreaming  ?  Surely  this  seems  to  be  too  wonder- 
ful a  thing  to  belong  to  the  waking  world." 

"  Look,  sir  !"  suddenly  exclaimed  Winters,  catching 
at  the  arm  of  the  young  Huguenot.  "  Do  you  see 
that?" 

He  pointed,  as  he  spoke,  to  the  end  of  a  heavy  cable 
which  was  hanging  from  the  bow.  ''It's  her  hawser, 
sir,  and  it  wasn't  cut  many  hours  since  !" 


CHAPTER   III 

L*  ESPERANCE 

THE  young  man  caught  the  end  of  the  rope  and 
swung  himself  to  the  deck  of  the  yacht.  "I  will  look 
below  and  report,"  he  said,  briefly.  "Keep  clear  of 
her  sides,  Winters,  till  I  come  back  !" 

With  that  he  disappeared  down  the  companion-way. 

He  was  on  deck  again  within  five  minutes,  and  waved 
his  hand  reassuringly  to  the  party  in  the  boat. 

"There's  not  a  soul  on  board  !"  he  cried.  "Z* Es- 
perance  is  a  derelict,  and  ours  by  right ;  let  us  take  pos- 
session at  once.  Here,  Winters,  make  the  boat  fast  at 
both  ends ;  then  pass  up  the  ladies. ' ' 

Winters  prepared  to  obey.  A  few  minutes  sufficed  to 
make  their  frail  craft  secure ;  then  the  old  man,  plant- 
ing his  sturdy  legs  far  apart,  reached  out  his  hands  to 
Madeline.  "Come,  miss,"  he  said,  "I'll  take  you 
first." 

"  But  how  am  I  to  get  up  there,  sir?"  said  Madeline, 
drawing  back  a  little. 

"  Wall,  you  can't  get  aboard  as  our  friend  Baillot  did 
just  now,  can  you,  miss  ?  So  I  must  just  hand  you  up 
to  the  deck,  like  a  precious  bit  of  cargo  as  you  be." 
And  unceremoniously  seizing  the  girl  in  both  his 
brawny  arms,  he  lifted  her  to  where  Baillot  was  waiting 
to  receive  her. 

The  natural  embarrassment  which  she  felt  at  this  novel 
ii 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

mode  of  conveyance  was  speedily  lost  in  concern  for  her 
mother,  who  still  sat  in  the  boat  below. 

"  Mother,"  she  cried  anxiously,  "  do  not  fear  !" 

"  I  am  not  afraid,"  said  Madame  de  Langres,  with  a 
quiet  smile. 

Winters  lifted  her  with  surprising  gentleness,  and  in 
another  instant  she  stood  beside  her  daughter  on  the 
deck.  Cato  followed,  scrambling  over  the  side  of  the 
vessel  as  nimbly  as  a  cat,  and  lastly  Winters. 

All  instinctively  looked  down  at  the  boat  which  they 
had  just  quitted.  It  was  nearly  a  third  full  of  water, 
for  the  leak  had  been  gaining  on  them  rapidly  within 
the  past  hour.  For  a  moment  no  one  spoke ;  then 
Cato,  true  to  his  craft,  exclaimed,  "We  have  left  our 
water  and  biscuits  behind ;  dis  yer  ship's  mighty  fine, 
but  what  about  her  victuals  ?' ' 

No  one  had  thought  of  that,  and  Winters  paused  as 
he  was  about  to  cut  the  ropes  which  held  the  water- 
logged boat. 

"You've  got  more  sense  in  your  woolly  pate  than  I 
gave  you  credit  for,  Cato,"  he  said.  "  Suppose  you  do 
a  little  exploring  on  your  own  account;  you'll  scent 
victuals  if  there  be  any,  I'll  warrant  me.  I'll  bring 
aboard  what  we  had,  sir, ' '  he  continued,  ' '  though  wet 
biscuits  are  sorry  eating ;  but  it'll  serve  us,  I  reckon. 
By  the  token  of  the  fresh -cut  hawser,  we'll  see  land 
afore  many  days." 

With  a  last  look  at  the  sinking  boat,  the  women 
turned  toward  the  companion-way.  They  were  wet  to 
the  skin,  and  trembling  with  fatigue. 

As  they  entered  the  cabin  Madeline  could  not  repress 
a  cry  of  delight.  Rich  rugs  carpeted  the  floor  ;  costly 
tapestries  covered  the  walls ;  while  parted  curtains  of 


L'ESPEKANCE 

crimson  stuff  revealed  a  second  cabin,  also  a  marvel  of 
comfort  and  beauty. 

" 'Tis  nothing  less  than  a  fairy  craft!"  she  said, 
shaking  her  head  solemnly.  "What  if  it  dissolve  in 
foam  beneath  our  feet,  and  leave  us  luckless  wanderers 
to  sink  to  the  ocean  caves  of  the  tricksy  sprites  who 
created  it  ?' ' 

"  Heaven  forefend  !"  said  Baillot  with  a  grave  smile. 
"Luckily  for  us  it  seems  more  substantial  than  the 
fabric  which  dreams  are  made  of,  though  it  is  quite  as 
strange  and  hard  to  believe  in.  I  will  send  Cato  with 
refreshments  of  some  sort. ' ' 

The  women  scarcely  had  time  to  look  about  them, 
when  a  light  tap  sounded  on  the  cabin  door.  It  was 
Cato  bearing  a  tray  laden  with  silver  dishes.  "More 
marvels,  Cato  ?' '  inquired  Madeline. 

"  De  best  ting  yet,  lady  !"  cried  the  old  negro  joy- 
fully. "  De  Lawd  mus'  hab  put  dis  yer  ship  here  a 
purpose  for  us.  Dar's  de  lubliest  cook's  galley  ye  eber 
see,  with  ebery  kin  ob  saucepan,  an'  all  shinin'  like 
pure  silver.  An'  dar's  victuals  fit  to  make  a  hungry 
man's  mouf  water.  I  didn't  wait  to  do  no  fancy 
cookin'  though,  jest  knocked  up  somethin'  in  a  hurry, 
case  I  knew  ye  was  'bout  starved." 

The  old  negro  had  been  busy  setting  forth  the  con- 
tents of  his  tray  on  a  small  richly  carved  table.  His 
task  finished,  he  paused  a  moment  longer  to  say, 
"  Dey's  a  makin'  ready  to  get  under  way.  I  don' 
surely  know,  but  I  tink  dey  see  Ian'.  I  ain't  in  no 
hurry,  de  Lawd  knows  when  I'll  get  anodder  such  kit 
o'  saucepans." 

"You  had  best  get  back  to  those  same  saucepans, 
Cato,  or  our  hungry  crew  will  be  helping  themselves," 

13 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

observed  Madeline,  smiling.  At  this  suggestion  the 
old  man  vanished  at  once. 

Above  stairs  all  was  hurry  and  excitement.  Baillot 
had  climbed  into  the  rigging,  and  was  studying  the 
horizon  with  a  small  glass  which  he  had  found  in  the 
cabin  below. 

''What  do  you  make,  sir?"  questioned  Winters  anx- 
iously. The  young  man  handed  him  the  glass. 

"Ay,  ay,  land  !  And  that  not  far  distant.  If  this 
'ere  craft  has  a  nimble  foot,  as  befits  so  fine  a  lady,  we 
shall  make  it  afore  sunset !  WTe  can  crowd  all  sail,  sir, 
in  this  breeze. ' ' 

The  two  set  busily  to  work,  and  soon  every  stitch  of 
canvas  was  set.  Baillot  sprang  to  the  helm,  the  sails 
filled  and  the  graceful  hull  began  to  move  through  the 
water. 

"This  is  a  glorious  little  craft,  sir  !"  cried  Winters. 
"  See  the  spray  fly  from  beneath  her  forefoot !  But 
she's  not  built  for  bad  weather,  and  that's  a  brewing 
for  to-morrow.  Give  me  the  helm,  sir,  and  get  some- 
thing into  your  hold. ' ' 

"  Tell  Cato  to  fetch  me  a  biscuit  and  do  you  go  and 
eat,  Winters,"  said  Baillot,  observing  the  ashen  pallor 
which  showed  beneath  the  old  man's  tan.  "You're 
starving,  man  !" 

"  Ay  !  mate,  something's  the  matter,"  grumbled  the 
sailor,  laying  his  hand  over  the  pit  of  his  stomach.  "  I 
am  not  the  man  I  was  once  !" 

"You'll  sing  a  different  tune  after  a  good  meal. 
Come,  begone ;  and  don' t  show  your  face  on  deck  in 
too  great  a  hurry." 

Left  to  himself  the  young  man  cast  a  thoughtful 
glance  about  the  vessel.  He  was  greatly  perplexed  by 

14 


L'ESPERANCE 

her  appearance,  though  he  had  said  little  to  any  of  the 
company.  In  a  region  of  the  ocean  which  he  knew 
to  be  desolate  and  far  from  any  civilized  coast,  how 
was  it  possible  for  a  yacht  fit  for  the  occupancy  of 
some  gay  queen  to  be  afloat.  He  was  presently  aroused 
from  his  revery  by  the  sound  of  a  light  footfall  behind 
him. 

' '  I  have  not  your  permission,  monsieur,  to  appear 
upon  deck,"  said  Madeline  demurely,  "yet  I  am  here, 
with  my  usual  boldness,  to  ask  a  question. ' ' 

"Surely,  mademoiselle!  you  did  not  misunderstand 
me,  when  I  forbade  you  to  venture  onto  the  slippery, 
wave-swept  deck  of  the  wreck." 

"Assuredly  not,"  said  the  girl  dropping  her  eyelids. 
' '  I  am  not  an  able  seaman,  but  only  a  woman,  and 
therefore  quite  unnecessary  and  seriously  in  the  way. 
You  did  right  to  rebuke  me  as  severely  as  you  did ; 
'  twas  well  merited  on  my  part. ' ' 

"Mademoiselle!"  exclaimed  the  Huguenot,  "what 
can  I  say  to  assure  you  that  far  from  being — ' 

"You  may  tell  me,"  interrupted  the  girl  hastily, 
"  whether  it  is  true  that  we  have  sighted  land  :  Madame, 
my  mother,  sent  me  to  inquire.  We  are  forced,"  she 
added  haughtily,  "  into  many  positions  which  are  dis- 
tasteful." 

The  young  man  bowed  with  an  air  as  haughty  as  her 
own.  "I  have  the  pleasure  of  informing  Mademoi- 
selle de  Langres,  that  we  have  sighted  land ;  if  the 
breeze  holds  good,  we  shall  reach  it  before  sunset." 

"What  can  it  be?"  said  Madeline  easily,  apparently 
quite  unmindful  of  his  frigid  manner.  "  I  know  noth- 
ing of  our  whereabouts,  but  are  we  not  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  ocean  ?' ' 

15 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"I  made  instant  search  for  maps  and  instruments 
when  I  first  boarded  the  vessel, ' '  replied  Baillot,  ' '  but 
I  found  nothing  to  throw  any  light  on  our  position. 
This  vessel  is  evidently  a  pleasure  craft,  intended  for 
the  idle  amusement  of  a  summer's  day ;  she  has  drifted 
from  her  moorings  which  cannot  be  far  distant,  as  the 
freshly-cut  hawser  and  her  perfect  condition  testify. 
We  shall  doubtless  find  a  very  prosaic  explanation  of 
the  mystery  when  we  reach  yonder  shore, ' '  he  added 
with  a  short  laugh.  "  Perchance  the  barbaric  prince 
of  yonder  island  has  seized  this  gay  craft — but,  no,  that 
cannot  be. ' '  And  fixing  his  eyes  on  the  horizon  the 
young  man  relapsed  into  silence. 

"The  barbaric  prince  of  your  imaginings  must  be  a 
man  of  learning,"  observed  Madeline  quietly,  "  for  see 
what  I  found  lying  on  the  open  lid  of  an  escritoire 
below  !"  And  she  held  up  a  slip  of  paper  on  which 
was  inscribed  in  a  peculiar,  but  perfectly  legible  hand 
a  fragment  of  Latin  verse.  "  But  I  must  go  below — 
thank  you  for  the  information  which  will  enable  my 
mother  to  repose  more  at  her  ease. ' ' 

By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  shores  and  pro- 
montories of  the  island — for  such  it  appeared,  began  to 
assume  distinct  proportions.  The  women  had  reap- 
peared upon  deck,  looking  greatly  refreshed  by  their 
hours  of  repose. 

"  Would  you  not  like  to  examine  the  shore  with  the 
glass  ?' '  said  Baillot,  addressing  Madame  de  Langres 
near  whose  chair  he  was  standing. 

The  lady  accepted  the  proffered  instrument  and  gazed 
long  and  earnestly  at  the  coast  which  they  were  rapidly 
nearing. 

"I  see  nothing  to  indicate  that  the  island  is  in- 
16 


L'ESPERANCE 

habited,"  she  said  at  length,  raising  her  eyes  to  the 
young  man's  serious  face.  "  Nothing  but  wooded 
heights,  and  a  desolate  reach  of  shore.  Yet  I  shall  be 
most  thankful  to  once  more  set  foot  upon  solid  ground, 
even  though  it  be  but  a  savage  solitude.  Do  you  see 
anything  more  than  I  have  said,  daughter  ?' ' 

"  No,  mother,"  said  Madeline.  "  I  see  nothing  but 
hills  covered  with  trees,  and  the  beach  below  on  which 
the  surf  appears  to  be  rolling  heavily.  How  shall  we 
effect  a  landing  ?' ' 

"That's  what  I  want  to  know,"  said  Winters,  who 
had  overheard  the  question.  "What  say  you,  sir;  shall 
we  skirt  the  island  a  bit  in  search  of  a  bay  or  creek  into 
which  we  may  safely  thrust  our  little  craft?  If  yen's 
a  desert  island  we  shall  want  to  sail  further  some  fine 
day,  and  I've  no  notion  of  stubbing  my  lady's  toe  on 
yonder  beach ;  she'  d  do  no  more  dancing  for  us,  nor 
for  any  one  else." 

"  Let  us  skirt  the  island  by  all  means,"  said  Baillot. 
"We  shall  then  have  a  clearer  idea  of  the  character 
and  extent  of  the  coast.  We  may  find  it  a  difficult  if 
not  impossible  task  to  land  at  any  point. ' ' 

' '  Never  fear,  sir,  we'  11  find  a  nook  for  our  beauty  to 
weather  the  night  in.  I've  no  notion  of  sailing  her 
much  further  on  this  cruise." 

"We  shall  see,  Winters.  I  sincerely  hope  that  you 
are  right. ' ' 

"And  I,"  said  Madame  de  Langres,  "hope  for  the 
sight  of  a  civilized  town  on  the  other  side  of  the  island. ' ' 

"That  you  won't  see,  ma'am,"  said  the  sailor. 
"  For  though  I  couldn't  tell  you  precisely  where  we  be, 
I'll  bet  my  head  thar's  no  town  within  a  thousand  miles 
of  us." 

2  17 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Is  there  no  other  land  in  sight?"  asked  the  lady. 

"No  other,  madame,"  replied  Baillot,  who  was  in 
his  turn  examining  the  coast  with  the  aid  of  the  glass. 

"  Then  must  not*  the  owner  of  this  wandering  butter- 
fly of  a  vessel  dwell  on  yonder  island  ?  It  can  scarcely 
have  been  afloat  long. ' ' 

"If  such  be  not  the  case,  madame,"  replied  the 
young  man,  "we  shall  be  forced  to  adopt  old  Cato's 
pious  explanation.  He  declares  that  the  powers  above 
have  dropped  this  little  craft  from  the  clouds  for  our 
especial  benefit." 

"That  we  were  providentially  guided  to  it,  I  do  not 
fora  moment  doubt,"  said  Madame  de  Langres  with 
emotion.  "  The  negro's  simple  trust  puts  our  anxieties 
to  the  blush  ;  we  should  have  faith  to  believe  that  the 
same  hand  which  has  guided  our  course  amid  the  dark- 
ness and  dangers  of  the  past  will  continue  to  care  for  us ; 
life  were  unbearable  else. ' ' 


18 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE    CHATEAU   ON   THE   ISLAND 

THE  yacht  had  now  approached  so  near  the  coast  that 
the  low  thunder  of  the  surf  could  be  distinctly  heard. 
There  was  no  sign  of  creek  or  bay,  nor  any  evidence 
that  the  land  they  were  approaching  was  other  than 
desolate  and  uninhabited. 

Winters  looked  anxious ;  the  breeze  had  begun  to 
die  away,  and  the  vesselmade  but  little  headway.  "  If 
we  fail  to  make  a  landing  soon,"  he  said  at  length, 
"we  shall  be  forced  to  put  to  sea  for  the  night,  and 
I'm  blessed  if  I  like  the  look  of  yonder  bank  of  clouds  !" 

"We  have  still  two  hours  or  more  of  daylight, 
Winters,"  said  Baillot ;  "  if  we  are  not  utterly  becalmed, 
we  can  make  several  miles  yet  before  the  darkness  over- 
takes us.  Rather  than  risk  another  night  at  sea  in  so 
frail  a  vessel,  would  it  not  be  better  to  run  her  ashore 
and  trust  to  our  wits  to  land  our  party?" 

"Our  wits  would  be  of  little  use  in  yonder  smother 
of  surf, ' '  growled  the  sailor.  « '  We  might  strike  at 
least  fifty  feet  from  dry  land,  and  go  to  pieces  like  a 
bubble." 

His  sharp  eyes  were  searching  the  sea  and  the 
coast  unremittingly  as  he  spoke.  "The  glass,  sir!" 
he  exclaimed  suddenly. 

"  What  do  you  make  ?' ' 

"  I  fancied  that  I  caught  a  gleam  of  something  white 
through  yonder  trees,  but  if  I  did,  'tis  vanished  now. 
My  old  eyes  are  of  little  use  of  late. ' ' 

19 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Your  eyes  did  not  deceive  you  this  time,  mate; 
for  on  yonder  slope  there  is  assuredly  an  object  which 
shows  white  through  the  surrounding  foliage,"  said 
Baillot.  "But  what  it  is  I  cannot  make  out,"  he 
added  after  a  more  careful  survey. 

The  distant  object,  whatever  it  was,  was  now  lost  to 
view  as  the  vessel  rounded  a  little  promontory  clothed 
with  foliage  to  the  water's  edge.  Beyond  this  wooded 
height  a  slight  indentation  occurred  in  the  coast-line, 
scarcely  noticeable  by  reason  of  the  luxurious  vegetation 
on  either  side ;  but  slight  as  it  was  it  did  not  escape 
the  vigilant  eye  of  Winters. 

"  Yonder' s  a  creek  !"  he  exclaimed  joyfully.  "  Now 
if  we  may  but  thrust  our  little  craft  into  its  mouth 
without  mishap,  we  shall  soon  stand  on  solid  ground  !" 

As  they  approached  nearer,  it  became  evident  that 
the  vessel  could  proceed  with  ease  through  the  narrow 
channel,  which,  moreover,  widened  quite  unexpectedly 
as  they  made  their  way  cautiously  along.  The  shores 
on  either  side  showed  delightful  glimpses  of  verdant 
meadows,  while  strange  shrubs  of  tropical  appearance 
crowned  with  bright-hued  blossoms  dipped  their 
branches  into  the  glassy  water. 

The  breeze  had  quite  died  away,  but  the  little  vessel 
was  borne  gently  onward  by  the  force  of  the  inflowing 
tide.  The  sun  was  setting,  and  the  rich  colors  of  the 
sky  above  shone  in  the  silver  mirror  of  the  stream. 
Spicy  breaths  of  perfume  greeted  the  voyagers,  and 
from  the  woods  and  thickets  sounded  the  vesper  song  of 
myriads  of  birds.  The  little  party  stood  close  together 
in  the  bow  of  the  vessel,  scarcely  speaking.  The  scene 
was  inexpressibly  delightful  to  eyes  wearied  with  the 
desolate  monotony  of  ocean. 

20 


THE  CHATEAU  ON  THE  ISLAND 

"  It  is  as  if  we  had  left  the  earth  and  all  its  sorrows 
behind  and  were  sailing  into  some  heavenly  country," 
sighed  Madeline  softly. 

The  stream  now  diverged  suddenly  to  the  left ;  and 
as  the  yacht  slowly  rounded  the  wooded  point  a  cry 
of  joy  burst  from  all  on  board.  High  on  a  rocky 
cliff  overhanging  the  little  lagoon,  into  which  the  waters 
of  the  stream  now  expanded,  stood  a  castle.  Long  and 
low,  rather  than  lofty,  solidly  built  of  stone,  its  windows 
glowing  brilliantly  in  the  sunset  light,  it  seemed  to  speak 
of  hospitality  and  comfort  to  the  weary  travellers. 

"  Our  bird  has  flown  straight  to  her  nest !"  exclaimed 
Winters,  pointing  to  the  wharf  which  they  were  ap- 
proaching. In  another  moment  the  little  vessel  had 
touched  the  pier.  Baillot  jumped  from  her  side,  and, 
seizing  a  bit  of  heavy  cable  which  was  trailing  in  the 
water,  he  held  it  up  to  view.  It  was  the  other  end  of 
the  severed  hawser ! 

"Ay,  ay,  my  beauty,  straight  to  your  nest !  Let  us 
make  her  fast,  and  perhaps  by  that  time  some  one  from 
the  big  house  yonder  will  have  spied  us.  We  shall  ex- 
pect a  right  hearty  welcome,  since  we  have  brought 
back  so  valuable  a  bit  of  property. ' ' 

While  the  men  were  busied  in  securing  the  yacht  to 
her  moorings,  the  women  were  anxiously  watching  the 
castle.  The  sunset  light  had  faded  now,  but  no  welcome 
gleam  showed  along  its  dark  front.  Madeline  shuddered 
slightly.  "  I  fear  we  shall  be  unwelcome  guests  in  yon- 
der chateau,"  she  said  slowly.  "  Surely  no  one  would 
choose  such  a  residence  as  this  unless  for  some  dark 
reason. ' ' 

"  And  all  because  we  see  no  light  in  the  windows,  my 
child  !  It  may  be — indeed  it  is  quite  likely — that  the 

21 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

inhabitants  of  the  castle  have  not  perceived  our  ap- 
proach," said  Madame  de  Langres  cheerfully.  "  That 
anyone  could  refuse  to  receive  us  in  our  present  helpless 
condition  I  cannot  believe." 

"Is  it  your  wish,  ladies,  to  scale  the  heights  and  as- 
sist us  in  storming  yonder  inhospitable-looking  dwell- 
ing ?  or  will  you  remain  here  under  the  guardianship  of 
Cato  while  Winters  and  I  announce  our  arrival,  and 
claim  our  share  in  the  salvage  of  the  vessel  ?' ' 

Madame  de  Langres  hesitated.  ' '  I  hardly  know — ' ' 
she  began  slowly,  when  Madeline  laid  a  beseeching  hand 
upon  her  arm. 

' '  Let  us  remain  here,  mother, ' '  she  said,  in  a  low 
voice.  "  You  are  not  strong  enough  to  attempt  such  a 
climb  to-night,  and  who  knows  what  our  reception  may 
be?  We  are  safe  for  the  present — and  free!"  she 
added  in  a  still  lower  tone. 

"We  will  remain  if  you  wish  it,  my  child,"  said 
Madame  de  Langres.  "  But  it  will  be  quite  impossible 
to  conceal  our  presence  on  the  island  even  should  we 
wish  to  do  so.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  no  fear  of 
what  we  shall  find  awaiting  us  in  the  castle,  gloomy  as 
it  appears." 

"We  will  return  as  speedily  as  possible,  and  shall 
hope  to  bring  you  cheering  intelligence,"  said  the 
young  man,  as  he  swung  himself  over  the  side  of  the 
vessel. 

The  two  women  watched  them  as  they  climbed  the 
steep  embankment,  the  sound  of  their  voices  dropping 
back  in  airy  echoes  on  the  faint  evening  breeze ;  then 
all  was  silent  save  the  occasional  twitter  of  a  belated 
bird.  A  feeling  of  loneliness  and  foreboding  swept  over 
them  as  they  sat  hand  in  hand  in  the  gathering  darkness. 

22 


THE  CHATEAU  ON  THE  ISLAND 

They  were  presently  aroused  from  their  sad  thoughts 
by  the  voice  of  Cato  from  the  companion-way  : 

"  Mabbe  yo'  git  no  gran'  supper  in  dat  castle  to- 
night !  'Pears  like  yo'  better  come  down  stairs  and  see 
what  I'se  got  for  ye.  'Taint  bes'  fur  ye  to  sit  yer  in 
dis  damp  anyhow." 

"  Cato  is  right,  mother  dearest,"  said  Madeline.  "  I 
have  been  very  thoughtless.  Let  us  go  below  by  all 
means. ' ' 

The  glowing  interior  of  the  little  cabin  certainly  pre- 
sented a  most  cheering  contrast  to  the  gloom  outside. 
It  was  lighted  by  numbers  of  wax  candles  in  gilded 
sconces,  from  which  depended  fringes  of  sparkling 
prisms.  In  the  middle  of  the  cabin  was  set  forth  a 
tempting  repast,  rendered  yet  more  inviting  by  the 
snowy  linen,  sparkling  glass  and  delicate  china  with 
which  it  was  served. 

"We  are  partaking  of  the  hospitality  of  the  castle, 
whether  its  lord  will  receive  us  or  no,"  commented 
Madeline.  "  What  right  have  we  to  make  so  free  with 
all  these  fine  things  ?  Would  it  not  be  embarrassing  if 
some  black -browed  pirate  should  of  a  sudden  burst  in 
upon  us?" 

"Embarrassing  were  scarce  the  word,  should  such  a 
thing  happen,  child,"  said  Madame  de  Langres.  "  And 
yet  I  think  that  even  the  black -browed  pirate  of  your 
fearful  imaginings  might  be  tempted  to  forget  his 
erring  ways  in  sight  of  such  a  banquet  as  Cato  has  pro- 
vided." 

' '  Nebber  fear,  lady, ' '  said  Cato,  who  was  hovering 
about  the  table,  bestowing  sundry  finishing  touches  upon 
its  arrangement.  "Dis  craf  belongs  to  us;  didn't 
yo'  hear  de  cap'n  say  dat  she  was  a  derelic'  ?  Dat 

23 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

means,  I  take  it,  dat  she  was  a  runaway.  We  done 
brought  her  back,  didn't  we?  and  we's  got  a  mighty 
good  right  to  eberyt'ing  we  wants  in  her.  Tell  you 
what,  lady,  if  dey  don1  want  us  up  dere,  we'll  jest 
simply  derelic'  again.  I  don'  want  noffin  better  to  do 
than  to  cook  for  you  ladies.  It's  time  dey  was  back  a' 
ready,"  he  added,  with  an  anxious  look  toward  the 
companion-way. 

Madame  de  Langres  glanced  up  at  the  clock,  which 
was  ticking  busily  on  the  wall.  "Nine  o'clock,"  she 
said  slowly.  "  Perhaps  they  have  been  detained. 
They  will  come  soon,  I  hope, ' '  she  added,  after  a  pause ; 
"it  is  not  late." 

But  ten  o'clock  came — then  eleven — twelve — and  the 
two  men  had  not  returned. 


CHAPTER  V 

THE    CASTELLAN 

WE  must  now  turn  back  a  few  hours,  that  we  may 
follow  the  fortunes  of  the  two  men  whom  we  last  saw 
climbing  the  steep  path  which  led  up  to  the  chateau. 

"There's  been  folks  afore  us  not  many  hours  since," 
said  Winters,  pointing  to  the  grass  on  either  side  of  the 
path. 

"Heaven  send  that  they  be  of  a  decent  sort  and 
charitably  disposed  !"  quoth  Baillot.  "  'Tis  a  strange 
thing  to  light  on  a  chateau  like  the  one  yonder  in  this 
region  of  the  earth.  If  we  lived  in  the  days  of  black 
magic,  I  should  say  that  it  must  have  flown  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Versailles. ' ' 

' '  Ay,  ay,  mighty  strange  ! ' '  echoed  Winters.  ' '  The 
place  and  the  little  craft  yonder  are  off  the  same  piece ; 
but  the  yacht  has  served  us  rarely,  mayhap  the  castle 
will  do  the  same." 

The  rugged  path  now  merged  into  a  tolerably  broad 
and  smooth  roadway  which  lay  along  the  base  of  the 
steep  wall  of  rock  from  whose  summit  frowned  the  dark 
mass  of  irregular  buildings ;  behind  the  castle  a  ragged 
fringe  of  poplar  trees  showed  black  against  the  greenish 
hue  of  the  sky,  where  the  first  faint  stars  were  beginning 
to  shine.  The  explorers  presently  came  upon  a  flight 
of  steps  cut  deep  into  the  solid  rock. 

25 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"These  steps  will  take  us  to  the  castle  gate,"  said 
Baillot  in  a  tone  of  satisfaction ;  "directly  we  should 
come  upon  a  guard,  or  at  all  events  a  porter.  These 
people,  whoever  they  may  be,  have  taken  too  much 
pains  with  their  position  to  leave  their  posterns  un- 
guarded. ' ' 

"  Wall,  sir  !"  growled  the  old  sailor  under  his  breath, 
"I'm  no  coward,  but  blow  me  if  I  like  the  looks  of  the 
place  !  Let's  go  back  to  the  yacht,  and  slip  away  with 
the  ebb  tide  into  the  honest  ocean.  When  the  sea 
means  mischief  it  roars  it  right  out,  so  you  can't  miss  it ; 
you  don't  have  to  go  sneaking  round  by  any  back  way 
to  find  it  out. ' ' 

' '  Tut,  Winters  !  would  you  take  those  passengers  of 
ours  out  to  sea  in  yonder  cockle-shell,  and  with  a  storm 
brewing  ?  We've  seen  nothing  to  frighten  us  yet,  man  ! 
Come  now,  put  on  a  bold  front,  for  I'm  going  to  hail 
the  porter.  Hola,  above  there  !  Hola  !" 

But  no  answer  came  back  from  the  frowning  walls 
above,  save  a  reverberating  echo  of  his  call. 

' '  Hola,  above  there  !  Hola  ! ' '  repeated  the  young 
sailor.  "  Come  on,  man,  I'm  going  up  !  Our  porter's 
heavy  with  wine,  and  not  expecting  visitors. ' ' 

The  heavy  oaken  door  at  the  top  of  the  stair  stood 
ajar,  swinging  to  and  fro  in  the  evening  breeze. 
Baillot  pushed  it  open  and  looked  cautiously  within, 
then  entered,  Winters  following  at  his  heels  and  grum- 
bling audibly. 

The  place  in  which  the  adventurers  found  themselves 
was  an  ordinary  paved  courtyard,  empty  save  for  a 
fountain  which  gurgled  plaintively  in  the  half  light. 
On  three  sides  of  the  yard  arose  the  walls  of  the  cha- 
teau, its  upper  stories  resting  upon  richly  carved  colon- 

26 


THE  CASTELLAN 

nades  beneath  whose  heavy  shadows  could  be  discerned 
the  dim  outline  of  several  massive  doorways. 

Baillot  strode  boldly  up  to  one  of  these  doors  and 
bestowed  a  thundering  knock  u^on  its  oaken  panels. 
Then  catching  sight  of  a  bell  rope  hanging  near  he  gave 
it  a  lusty  pull. 

' '  These  folks  are  either  asleep  or  dead, ' '  said  Winters 
after  an  anxious  pause  of  several  minutes. 

"Or,"  interposed  the  younger  man  hastily,  "there 
are  no  people  here." 

"How  do  you  account  for  the  yacht,  sir?"  ques- 
tioned Winters.  "And  the  well-worn  track  to  the 
water's  edge?" 

"I  can  account  for  nothing,"  replied  Baillot.  "It 
may  be,  however,  that  somewhere  in  this  mass  of  build- 
ings we  shall  find  human  beings,  'tis  big  enough  to 
house  a  regiment. ' ' 

As  he  spoke  he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  door ;  to  his 
surprise  it  yielded  to  his  touch,  swinging  open  noise- 
lessly. 

"  These  must  be  honest  folk,"  quoth  Winters,  "  since 
they  leave  their  doors  aswing.  Shall  we  go  in,  sir  ?' ' 

Baillot  hesitated  a  moment  before  replying.  " 'Tis 
growing  late,"  he  said  at  length,  "and  our  companions 
will  be  anxiously  awaiting  our  return — yet  so  far  we 
have  learned  nothing ;  the  daylight  will  serve  us  for  a 
few  minutes  longer.  Yes,  we  will  go  in,  and  look 
about  us  a  bit. ' ' 

By  the  dim  light  which  streamed  in  through  the  open 
door  the  two  men  perceived  that  they  had  entered  a 
long  and  wide  corridor,  paved  with  marble,  and  lighted 
at  the  further  end  by  a  lofty  window  of  richly-colored 
glass ;  on  either  side  of  this  corridor  were  numerous 

27 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

doorways,  while  beyond  Baillot  thought  that  he  could 
make  out  through  the  gathering  gloom  the  outlines  of  a 
winding  stairway. 

They  had  scarcely  taken  more  than  a  passing  glance 
at  their  surroundings  when,  with  a  sound  as  of  rushing 
garments,  a  violent  gust  of  wind  swept  adown  the 
passage-way ;  in  an  instant  the  heavy  door  swung  to 
with  a  bang  which  reverberated  in  startling  echoes 
through  the  silence. 

"This'll  do,  sir,  for  me,"  cried  Winters.  "  I've  no 
stomach  for  creeping  about  old  castles  in  the  dark. 
Who  knows  what's  behind  yonder  closed  doors? 
Nothing  that  we  can't  do  without  for  the  present,  I'll 
be  bound.  Let's  get  back  to  the  ship  and  take  this 
'ere  job  in  hand  by  daylight !" 

"I'm  with  you,  Winters!"  said  the  young  man. 
"There's  no  reason,  as  you  say,  why  we  should  not  be 
satisfied  with  the  shelter  afforded  us  by  the  yacht  for  a 
single  night." 

"  Good  Lord,  sir,  I  should  say  not !  She's  fit  for  a 
king,  and  the  honestest  thing  there  is  about  this  place, 
I'll  warrant."  With  that  the  old  sailor  laid  hold  of  the 
door  and  gave  a  sturdy  pull ;  to  his  dismay  it  refused  to 
open.  He  turned  and  faced  his  companion.  "What 
sort  of  devil's  work  is  this,"  he  demanded  fiercely, — "a 
door  swinging  open  to  a  touch  to  let  you  in,  then  shut- 
ting as  fast  as  the  doors  of  hell  on  a  lost  sinner  ?' ' 

"There's  no  devil's  work  about  it,  Winters,"  said 
Baillot  calmly.  "  'Tis  plainly  enough  a  spring  lock  ;  the 
door  was  unlatched  when  we  entered,  that  unlucky  gust 
of  wind  closed  it,  and  here  we  are  !" 

"Yes,  sir,  here  we  are  !  and  a  nasty  job  we  may  find 
it  to  get  out,"  growled  the  old  man,  distractedly  run  - 

28 


THE  CASTELLAN 

ning  his  fingers  through  his  grey  hair.  "This  is  a 
dummed  sight  worse  than  any  shipwreck  I  was  ever  in." 

"We'll  get  out  somehow,  and  that's  something  you 
can't  be  sure  of  in  a  shipwreck,"  said  the  other  with  a 
short  laugh.  "There  were  several  outside  entrances; 
come  on  !" 

The  last  gleam  of  daylight  had  now  vanished  and  the 
two  groped  their  way  cautiously  along  the  walls  in  the 
thick  darkness. 

"  What  do  you  say,  sir,  to  trying  a  window?"  asked 
Winters  in  a  tremendous  whisper.  ' '  Consarn  it  all,  we 
can't  stay  foolin'  'round  here  much  longer  !" 

Baillot  stopped  short ;  his  hand  had  encountered  a 
door  sunken  deeply  into  the  wall.  He  opened  it  with- 
out difficulty,  and  after  straining  his  eyes  in  the  direc- 
tion of  two  dim  spots  in  the  darkness  which  he  took  to 
be  windows,  he  stepped  cautiously  forward  ;  to  his  hor- 
ror his  foot  encountered  nothing  more  substantial  than 
the  empty  air.  Clutching  wildly  at  the  door  to  save  him- 
self, he  fell  heavily  forward. 

"Lord  love  ye,  sir!  What's  got  ye?"  exclaimed 
Winters  who  was  just  behind  him.  "  Be  you  killed  !" 

Baillot  sat  up  and  rubbed  his  head  ruefully.  "  If  I 
was  killed,  Winters,  what  would  you  expect  me  to  say  ? 
No,  I'm  not  dead,  nor  even  hurt,  for  I've  tumbled  onto 
a  remarkably  soft  carpet ;  but  if  you're  inclined  to  fol- 
low my  lead,  I  advise  you  to  do  it  in  a  little  different 
way  :  I  fancy  you  will  find  about  three  steps  there. ' ' 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,  three  steps!  But  now  we're  here, 
what  next  ?' ' 

"That's  the  question.  I  suppose  we  might  pursue 
our  investigations  till  morning,  and  be  no  wiser  than 
we  are  now.  I  confess  I'm  not  so  anxious  to  keep 

29 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

on  with  them  as  I  was  a  few  minutes  since.  My  ideas 
have  been  shaken  up  like  the  bits  of  glass  in  a  kaleido- 
scope, and  they've  arranged  themselves  in  a  brand-new 
pattern." 

"  I  don't  follow  you,  sir  !  but  if  you  mean  that  a 
tumble  into  some  tarnal  hole  in  the  dark  is  a  thing  to 
be  tried  but  once,  I  agree  with  you.  We  were  a  pair  of 
lubberly  fools  not  to  bring  a  ship's  lantern  with  us. 
Beg  your  pardon,  sir,  I  should  have  said — " 

"You  needn't  apologize,  Winters.  I'm  in  a  suffi- 
ciently humble  frame  of  mind.  But  what  do  you  think 
we  had  better  do  ?' ' 

"  Wall,  sir,  it's  my  opinion,  since  I'm  asked,  that 
the  best  thing  for  us  to  do  is  jest  to  lay  to  till  daylight. 
There's  nothing  to  be  gained  by  cruisin'  about  in  the 
dark,  with  neither  chart  nor  compass.  Let's  drop  our 
anchors,  sir,  and  get  a  bit  of  sleep  ;  it's  precious  few 
hours  of  it  we've  had  since  we  left  The  White  Gull.''1 

"But  the  women?" 

"I'll  resk  'em,  sir  !  They've  had  a  good  meal  of 
victuals  by  this  time,  I'll  be  bound  ;  old  Cato's  on  guard, 
and  not  a  mouse  to  peep  at  them. ' ' 

"We're  not  so  sure  of  that,"  remarked  the  young 
man  after  a  pause.  "  But  I  fear  it  is  out  of  our  power 
to  do  other  than  follow  your  suggestion.  It  would  be 
worse  than  folly  to  risk  a  broken  limb  in  this  place. ' ' 

Winters,  who  had  been  fumbling  about  him  in  the 
darkness,  now  tossed  some  soft  object  toward  his  com- 
panion, saying  as  he  did  so,  "  Catch  on,  cap'n.  I've 
found  a  nest  of  cushions  here.  We'll  sleep  as  sound  as 
the  women-folk  in  yonder  craft." 

"They'll  not  sleep  to-night,  you  may  be  sure  of 
that. ' ' 

3° 


THE  CASTELLAN 

"Wall,  I  shall,"  returned  the  old  man  calmly,  and 
in  another  moment  his  loud  snoring  showed  that  he  had 
kept  his  word. 

Baillot  lay  open-eyed,  staring  into  the  blackness  for 
some  time  longer,  but  at  length,  he  too,  exhausted  by 
excitement  and  fatigue,  fell  into  a  heavy  slumber. 

How  long  he  slept  he  could  not  tell,  but  he  sat  up 
suddenly  broad  awake  and  listened  intently.  There 
was  a  slight  sound  not  ten  paces  off,  as  if  some  one 
were  feeling  cautiously  about  in  the  dark.  And  now  he 
distinctly  heard  a  long-drawn  sigh. 

Thoroughly  alarmed,  he  put  out  his  hand  and  gave 
his  sleeping  companion  a  sound  shake. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !"  growled  Winters  sleepily.  "  I'll  be 
on  deck  directly,  sir  !" 

"  Hist  !"  said  Baillot  in  his  ear,  "  there  is  some  one 
in  the  room  with  us  !" 

The  old  sailor  was  awake  in  an  instant.  He  sat  up 
and  listened.  "You've  been  dreaming,  sir,"  he  said 
at  length,  "  and  if  you've  no  objections,  I'll  go  to  sleep 
again. ' ' 

"Hist,  man!"  repeated  Baillot.  The  sound  was 
unmistakable  this  time,  there  was  somebody  in  the 
room  ;  again  came  that  long-drawn  sigh. 

"Dang  it!"  cried  Winters  with  decision.  "I'll 
soon  find  out  what  it  is  !  Ahoy  there  ! ' ' 

But  there  was  no  reply,  only  a  renewal  of  the  soft 
fumbling  sounds. 

"  Good  Lord,  sir  !  What's  that  ?" 

Not  a  yard  away  two  glowing  balls  of  fire  hovered  low 
in  the  darkness.  They  moved — they  were  advancing. 

Winters  gave  a  smothered  yell  of  fear  and  buried  his 
head  in  the  cushions. 

31 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Baillot  whistled  slightly.  "  Come  here,  come  here, 
good  fellow  !"  he  said  coaxingly.  A  whine  of  delight 
followed,  and  a  quick  scuffle  of  small  feet  across  the 
floor. 

"Sit  up,  Winters,  old  man!  "Tis  nothing  but  a 
dog,  and  a  little  fellow  at  that — a  King  Charles  by  his 
ears.  I  knew  what  it  was  the  instant  I  saw  the  eyes. ' ' 

"  The  eyes,  sir  !"  gasped  the  old  man.  "  I  thought 
it  was  the  devil  himself,  all  on  fire  inside  !" 

The  two  men  composed  themselves  for  a  second  time, 
for  it  was  still  intensely  dark  ;  the  dog  nestled  between 
them,  manifesting  his  delight  from  time  to  time  by 
gently  licking  Baillot' s  hand. 

"  This  little  fellow  throws  almost  as  much  light  on 
our  position  as  though  he  carried  a  lantern, ' '  observed 
Baillot. 

"  How's  that,  sir." 

"  Why,  don't  you  see  that  his  presence  here  indicates 
that  we  are  not  alone  on  the  island  ;  he  must  have  a 
master — or  mistress." 

"  Wall,  I  wish  he'd  kep'  dark  till  morning,"  growled 
the  sailor.  "  Nobody  was  asking  for  information  from 
him  !"  And  with  that  he  rolled  over  and  was  soon 
snoring  again. 

But  there  was  no  more  sleep  for  the  young  Huguenot. 
He  lay  wide  awake  listening  to  the  wind  as  it  sighed 
drearily  about  the  casements,  and  watching  eagerly  for 
the  first  indication  of  dawn.  The  little  creature  at  his 
side  nestled  closely  up  to  him,  shivering  now  and  then 
as  if  with  cold  or  fear. 


CHAPTER    VI 

A    RELIEF    PARTY 

To  the  two  women  on  board  the  yacht  the  night  wore 
drearily  away.  A  prey  to  a  thousand  distracting  fears 
and  maddening  conjectures,  neither  could  sleep.  Made- 
line persuaded  her  mother  to  lie  down  in  her  berth,  but 
she  hepself  spent  most  of  the  night  pacing  up  and  down 
the  little  cabin. 

"Why  did  we  not  go  with  them?"  she  asked  herself 
a  thousand  times,  "we  should  at  least  have  known 
the  worst!" 

At  the  first  streak  of  dawn  she  roused  Cato,  who  had 
spent  the  night  curled  up  on  a  rug  outside  the  door. 

"  We  must  go  up  to  the  castle  at  once,"  she  said  de- 
cidedly, ' '  and  see  what  has  become  of  our  companions. 
Oh,  what  if  we  never  find  them  !" 

"  Lawsy,  miss!"  said  the  old  negro  coaxingly, 
"you  jus'  lie  down  an'  res'  a  little,  and  let  old  Cato 
get  yo'  some  breakfas'.  Den  I'll  go  up  dere  muself. 
Der  ain't  no  need  for  you  to  wear  yo' self  out  climbin'. 
I'll  come  right  back." 

"You  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind,"  cried  Madeline. 
' '  We  will  all  go  this  time,  and  we  will  start  now.  No, 
I  want  nothing  to  eat ;  it  would  choke  me. ' ' 

"  But  yer  lady  moder,  miss,"  pleaded  the  old  man. 
"  Yo'  surely  do'n'  spect  her  to  start  out  till  she  hab 
some  breakfas'  ?" 

3  33 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Madeline  hesitated.  "No,"  she  said  at  length, 
"  she  must  have  something ;  but  make  haste  !" 

"Madeline!"  said  the  soft  voice  of  her  mother, 
"my  child,  what  ails  you?  In  all  our  troubles  I  have 
not  seen  you  so  impatient  !" 

"Well,  mother,"  sighed  the  girl  penitently,  "it 
must  be  the  uncertainty ;  only  think  how  dreadful  it 
would  be  if  we  never  find  them  ;  what  should  we  do  ?' ' 

"Can  you  not  learn,  my  child,  the  folly  of  pursuing 
so  hotly  after  trouble.  Surely,  we  have  had  distresses 
enough  without  imagining  more  which  may  never  come 
to  pass.  A  few  hours  may  see  all  these  clouds  dissi- 
pated, and  our  brave  friends  restored  to  us  in  safety. 
Let  us  at  least  hope  so  till  we  have  better  reason  to  fear 
the  contrary." 

' '  He  would  never  have  left  us  to  suffer  such  anxiety 
without  some  terrible  reason,"  declared  the  girl  obsti- 
nately. 

"Perhaps  not,"  said  her  mother  quietly;  "Mr. 
Winters  is  a  very  thoughtful  old  man. ' ' 

"Mr.  Winters!"  echoed  Madeline.  Then  she 
blushed  scarlet.  "Here  is  Cato  with  the  breakfast! 
Let  us  make  haste,  that  we  may  start  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible." 

Madame  de  Langres  made  no  further  remonstrance ; 
truth  to  tell,  she  was  almost  as  anxious  as  her  daughter. 

The  slight  repast  was  partaken  of  in  haste  and  silence. 
Then  the  two  women  arose,  and  after  the  somewhat  dif- 
ficult feat  of  getting  from  the  vessel  to  the  pier  had  been 
accomplished  under  the  able  generalship  of  Cato,  the 
little  party  was  fairly  under  way. 

The  morning  had  dawned  red  and  threatening  ;  the 
wind,  as  it  swept  through  the  trees,  had  in  it  the  sound 

34 


A  RELIEF  PARTY 

of  weeping,  while  the  low  pile  of  buildings  on  the 
heights  above  looked  not  a  whit  less  gloomy  and  sinister 
than  in  the  twilight  of  the  preceding  evening. 

Madeline  shuddered  as  her  eye  rested  upon  the  dark 
walls  fringed  with  battlements  and  bristling  with  tur- 
rets, but  she  said  nothing,  only  hurried  on  faster  than 
before. 

"Madeline,"  said  her  mother  breathlessly,  "I  fear 
that  I  cannot  walk  so  rapidly.  Can  we  not  stop  for  a 
moment  ?' ' 

"Oh,  mother,  how  thoughtless  I  am!  You  ought 
not  to  make  such  an  exertion.  Return  to  the  yacht  with 
Cato,  I  beg  of  you ;  I  will  go  alone." 

Madame  de  Langres  had  sunken  onto  a  great  stone 
by  the  roadside,  where  she  sat  for  a  moment  silent  and 
exhausted.  Presently  she  arose.  "I  am  quite  ready 
to  go  on  now,  my  child.  Any  further  division  of  our 
little  company  is  not  to  be  thought  of. ' ' 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  flight  of  stone 
steps  which  led  up  to  the  castle.  Without  a  moment's 
hesitation  Madeline  began  the  ascent ;  then  glancing 
back,  and  seeing  that  her  mother  was  hesitating,  she 
returned. 

"Lean  on  me,  mother!"  she  cried;  "we  have  not 
far  to  go  now,  and  this  mystery  will  be  solved. ' ' 

"Bes*  wait  here,  and  let  me  go,"  said  Cato,  who 
had  been  toiling  along  in  the  rear,  laden  with  a  large 
basket. 

"What  have  you  in  your  basket,  Cato?"  questioned 
Madeline,  for  the  first  time  noticing  his  burden. 

"  I  thought  mabbe  dey  be  hungry,"  returned  the  old 
man  deprecatingly,  "  becase  dey  had  no  supper  las' 
night." 

35 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  I  am  sure  I  hope  they  at  least  had  bread  and  water, 
however  inhuman  their  jailors  !"  cried  the  girl,  raising 
her  eyes  defiantly  to  the  castle,  which  now  frowned  di- 
rectly above  their  heads. 

A  few  more  steps  brought  them  to  the  top  of  the 
flight  of  rock-hewn  stairs.  Pushing  open  the  door 
the  little  party  entered  the  courtyard.  They  stood  for 
a  moment  looking  timorously  about  them.  Then  Cato 
set  dov/n  his  basket,  and  proceeded  to  try  door  after 
door. 

"  Dese  folks  ain't  bery  early  risers,"  he  remarked,  as 
he  rolled  his  eyes  reflectively  about.  Presently  observ- 
ing an  arched  opening  which  had  escaped  the  notice  of 
the  explorers  the  evening  before,  he  picked  up  his 
basket.  "  We'll  walk  in  dis  yer  way,  and  see  what  we 
fin'." 

The  arched  opening  in  question  proved  to  be  the  en- 
trance into  an  inner  courtyard,  and  the  anxious  searchers 
had  scarcely  entered  it  when  they  were  startled  by  the 
sound  of  a  window  going  up  above  their  heads,  followed 
by  the  excited  barking  of  a  small  dog. 

"  Bon  jour,  mes dames  /' '  cried  the  voice  of  the  young 
Huguenot  cheerfully.  "A  most  welcome  sight  to  two 
prisoners  gaunt  with  famine  and  perishing  with  thirst  is 
a  rescue  party  with  a  basket. ' ' 

"Are  you  then  prisoners ?"  questioned  Madame  de 
Langres  anxiously.  "  Where  are  the  inhabitants  of  the 
castle?" 

"Prisoners  only  of  the  darkness  in  league  with  a 
breath  of  wind,"  replied  the  young  man.  Then  he 
briefly  related  the  events  of  the  preceding  night,  wind- 
ing up  his  story  with  the  hope  that  the  ladies  had  not 
been  unduly  anxious  over  their  prolonged  absence. 

36 


A  RELIEF  PARTY 

"  Not  at  all,  monsieur,"  said  Madeline  coldly.  "  We 
felt  reasonably  sure  that  nothing  serious  could  have  be- 
fallen two  such  bold  adventurers ;  but  where  is  Mr. 
Winters  ?' ' 

"Here,  miss!"  replied  that  redoubtable  seaman, 
popping  his  head  out  of  the  other  window.  "I've  just 
been  rigging  up  a  little  tackle  to  get  us  out  of  here." 
He  was  busy  fastening  something  to  the  window-sill  as 
he  spoke,  and  in  another  moment  had  descended  hand 
over  hand  on  a  rope  improvised  from  various  gay  fab- 
rics knotted  firmly  together.  "Come  on,  sir!"  he 
shouted  to  Baillot.  "It's  all  ship-shape  !" 

"  I  must  arrange  for  the  safety  of  our  little  castellan," 
said  Baillot.  "  As  far  as  we  have  learned  he  is  the  only 
inhabitant  of  the  chateau. ' ' 

So  saying  he  drew  up  the  rope,  and  fastening  it  firmly 
to  the  body  of  the  dog,  lowered  the  little  creature, 
despite  its  frantic  struggles  and  pathetic  yelpings,  safely 
to  the  courtyard  below. 

"  What  a  little  darling  ! ' '  exclaimed  Madeline.  "  But 
how  thin  he  is,  and  how  he  trembles  ;  I  am  sure  he  is 
starved.  Cato,  did  you  not  say  that  you  had  something 
to  eat  in  that  basket  ?  Do  give  me  something  for  this 
poor  little  fellow." 

"Better  give  him  a  drink  firs',  lady,"  said  Cato. 
"  He's  terrible  thirsty  ;  look  at  his  tongue." 

"  If  there's  anything  to  eat  in  that  basket,  you  black 
rascal,"  put  in  Winters,  "  I  don't  mind  looking  into  it 
myself;  I'll  git  some  bones  ready  for  the  dog,"  he 
added  with  a  grin. 

Baillot  in  his  turn  had  now  descended  into  the  court- 
yard, and  the  two  hungry  men,  at  the  request  of  Madame 
de  Langres,  addressed  themselves  with  vigor  to  the  wel- 

37 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

come  contents  of  the  basket,  which  Cato  had  unpacked 
and  set  forth  on  the  stone  steps  of  one  of  the  entrances. 

"It  is  fortunate  that  Cato  was  so  thoughtful,"  re- 
marked the  lady  complacently.  ' '  Madeline  would  have 
it  that  you  were  pining  in  some  dungeon  with  no  better 
refreshment  than  bread  and  water. ' ' 

' '  We  should  have  been  mighty  glad  of  that  last  night, ' ' 
said  Winters  betwixt  his  mouthfuls.  "  And  so  would 
yonder  pup,"  indicating  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  the 
dog,  which  was  eagerly  eating  tidbits  from  the  hand  of 
Madeline. 

"  But  do  you  really  think,"  pursued  Madame  de  Lan- 
gres,  "that  the  chateau  is  deserted?  It  must  at  least 
have  been  a  recent  departure,  since  the  dog  is  alive. ' ' 

"Now  that  we  have  appeased  the  pangs  of  hunger, 
and  are  once  more  all  together,"  said  Baillot  rising,  "  let 
us  pursue  our  investigations.  It  may  be  that  there  is 
someone  in  one  of  the  wings  of  this  great  pile,  who  is 
as  yet  wholly  unaware  of  our  presence  here." 

"Very  good,  sir,  I'm  ready  to  clap  on  all  sail  and 
cruise  ahead,"  said  Winters,  "  but  I  shall  keep  the  tail 
of  my  eye  out  for  spring-doors  and  such  bedevilments  !" 

"What  if  we  fail  to  find  any  one,"  said  Madeline, 
fondling  the  pretty  head  of  the  spaniel,  who  in  return 
bestowed  upon  the  slender  white  hand  of  his  benefactress 
every  token  of  affection. 

' '  We  can  then  take  possession  of  the  chateau,  and 
await  further  developments,"  replied  Baillot.  "We 
shall  find  no  reason  to  complain  of  our  accommoda- 
tions," he  added. 

"  'Twere  more  to  my  mind,  sir,"  said  Winters,  "to 
try  a  cruise  in  yonder  yacht,  as  soon  as  the  weather  sets 
fair;  there's  something  wrong  if  we  find  this  place 

38 


A  RELIEF  PARTY 

empty;  'tain't  natur'  for  folks  to  go  off  in  such  a 
hurry. ' ' 

' '  Why  do  we  stand  here  talking  about  it, ' '  cried 
Madeline  impatiently.  ' '  Let  us  find  out  at  once 
whether  the  place  be  empty  or  no. ' '  And  she  boldly 
laid  hold  upon  a  door  near  at  hand.  It  opened  readily, 
but  the  young  girl  shrank  back  from  the  interior, 
which  showed  dark  and  gloomy  in  contrast  to  the 
broad  daylight  without.  In  an  instant,  however,  she 
recovered  herself  and  entered,  followed  closely  by  the 
remainder  of  the  party. 

"Belay  there,  till  I  fasten  this  'ere  door  open!" 
said  Winters.  "The  women-folks  might  not  enjoy 
coming  down  our  outside  stairway." 

' '  These  seem  to  be  mostly  offices  and  rooms  for  the 
accommodation  of  attendants,"  said  Baillot,  throwing 
open  door  after  door.  "  Let  us  ascend  this  stairway 
and  see  what  we  shall  find  above. ' ' 

Accordingly  the  whole  party  proceeded  up  the  grand 
stone  staircase,  their  feet  falling  noiselessly  upon  the 
thick  carpet  of  crimson  velvet.  Having  gained  the 
top,  the  adventurers  found  themselves  in  a  high  and 
wide  corridor,  lighted  from  above,  and  hung  with 
pictures ;  while  here  and  there  a  cushioned  bench,  or 
a  chair  covered  with  rich  embroidery  cast  dim  reflec- 
tions upon  the  polished  floor  of  inlaid  wood. 

' '  A  picture  gallery  ! ' '  exclaimed  Madame  de  Langres, 
as  the  party  hurriedly  traversed  this  apartment. 

By  a  sort  of  common  consent,  all  presently  paused 
before  a  pair  of  double  doors  of  white  and  gold,  the 
entrance  being  further  guarded  by  heavy  draperies  of 
embroidered  damask. 

"  Had  we  best  await  the  arrival  of  the  lackey,  who 
39 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

should  by  rights  be  lolling  on  yonder  bench  ?' '  ques> 
tioned  Baillot  lightly,  though  with  a  beating  heart. 

"  See  the  dog  !"  exclaimed  Madeline. 

The  little  animal  had  struggled  down  out  of  her  arms, 
and  was  whining  and  scratching  frantically  at  the 
threshold. 

Baillot  laid  his  hand  upon  the  door,  and  after  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation  opened  it  softly.  The  spaniel  bounded 
in,  barking  joyously,  then  his  bark  changed  to  a  piteous 
whine,  and  returning  to  Madeline,  he  crouched  at  her 
feet  and  looked  up  beseechingly  into  her  face. 

The  room,  at  the  entrance  of  which  the  party  still 
hesitated,  was  both  large  and  lofty,  and  as  they  could 
see  by  the  light  which  struggled  in  through  the  heavy 
draperies  of  lace  and  damask  which  shrouded  the  win- 
dows, furnished  with  great  magnificence. 

"A  pretty  snug  harbor  for  somebody!"  observed 
Winters  in  a  hoarse  whisper.  ' '  Shall  we  go  any  further 
on  this  tack,  sir  ?' ' 

"There  seems  to  be  no  one  here,"  said  Baillot,  and 
after  another  hasty  survey  he  entered,  the  others  fol- 
lowing. 

"See,  mother,"  said  Madeline,  "the  room  has  been 
recently  occupied  ! ' ' 

She  pointed  as  she  spoke  to  a  table  upon  which  stood 
a  tall  Venetian  vase,  containing  a  magnificent  rose,  from 
which  the  petals  were  just  beginning  to  drop.  Beside 
the  vase  was  a  book,  opened  and  lying  face  down  upon 
the  table  as  if  the  reader  had  deposited  it  there  at  some 
trivial  interruption. 

The  party  now  moved  cautiously  toward  the  open 
door  at  the  end  of  the  room  ;  they  looked  in.  This 
was  a  sleeping  apartment,  as  the  lofty  canopied  bed  bore 

40 


A  RELIEF  PARTY 

witness ;  its  satin  coverlid  was  turned  back,  and  on  the 
pillow,  covered  with  finest  linen  and  edged  with  lace, 
still  lingered  the  faint  imprint  of  the  sleeper's  head. 
Over  the  back  of  a  great  arm-chair  which  was  drawn  up 
before  the  fireplace  hung  a  dressing-gown  elaborately 
embroidered. 

"How  strange,  how  very  strange  this  is!"  mur- 
mured Madame  de  Langres  with  an  involuntary  sigh. 
"  Where  can  the  occupant  of  this  chamber  be?" 

"Quite  possibly  upon  a  hunting  party,  madame," 
said  Baillot,  "accompanied  by  his  household.  We 
have  still  many  rooms  to  explore,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
unknown  territory  of  the  island  about  us." 

At  this  moment  Madeline  caught  sight  of  Cato  ;  the 
negro  had  disappeared  for  a  moment,  while  the  others 
were  occupied  in  examining  the  bedchamber.  Now  he 
thrust  his  wooly  head  in  at  the  door  and  beckoned  vio- 
lently to  the  young  girl  to  come  out.  Wonderingly  she 
obeyed. 

"What  is  it,  Cato?"  she  said. 

"  Dey  tinks  der's  nobody  in  dis  yer  place,"  he  whis- 
pered, grasping  her  arm.  "  Do  you  hear  dat?" 

She  listened  intently,  and  presently  heard  a  peal  of 
discordant  laughter,  followed  by  the  snatch  of  a  French 
chanson  sung  in  a  loud  tuneless  voice. 

The  young  girl  turned  like  a  flash,  and  running  back 
to  where  the  others  were  standing,  cried  out, 

"  There  is  some  one  in  the  next  room  !" 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    GARDEN    OF    ROSES 

"THERE  is  some  one  in  the  next  room!"  repeated 
the  young  girl.  "  I  heard  them  singing  and  laughing — 
such  a  horrid  inhuman  laugh,  it  must  be  a  mad  man  !" 
she  added  with  a  shudder. 

"To  be  sure,  cap'n,"  said  Cato,  who  had  followed 
closely,  "it  do  soun'  powerful  like  a  crazy  man." 

"We  must  attend  to  this  at  once,  Winters!"  said 
Baillot  shortly.  "  Have  you  arms?" 

"  Sartain,  sir,"  replied  Winters,  stretching  out  a  pair 
of  brawny  limbs,  "and  good  strong  ones  they  be, 
thank  God.  Let  us  get  after  this  rascal  at  once,  we'll 
soon  make  short  work  of  him. ' ' 

"  Take  this,  you  dunderhead,  and  come  along  !"  said 
the  Huguenot  impatiently,  picking  up  one  of  the  irons 
from  the  fireplace  as  he  spoke.  "It  will  serve  in 
place  of  a  better  weapon  ;  I  have  a  pistol." 

Thus  equipped  the  two  men  crept  cautiously  into  the 
corridor,  followed  by  Cato,  the  women  hanging  fear- 
fully back,  yet  not  quite  daring  to  remain  behind. 

Another  burst  of  the  screaming  laughter  greeted 
them,  as  they  approached  a  closed  door  at  the  end  of 
the  passage,  followed  by  a  hoarse  incoherent  murmur. 

Baillot  laid  his  ear  to  the  crack  of  the  door,  and 
heard  these  words  muttered  in  a  low,  harsh  voice. 
"  Bon  jour,  monsieur!  Water!  Water!  Ha,  ha! 

42 


THE  GARDEN  OF  ROSES 

I  say,  where  are  you  all?  Pierre,  you  pig,  fetch  me 
my  breakfast ! ' '  Then  a  sort  of  screech  as  of  inarticu- 
late rage. 

The  young  man  straightened  himself  and  turned  his 
grave  face  toward  the  others,  a  faint  smile  lurking  about 
his  mouth.  "Another  case  of  quite  needless  alarm, 
friends,"  he  said  quietly,  laying  his  hand  upon  the 
door.  "  I  think  we  shall  find  our  madman  to  be  a 
harmless,  if  not  useful  member  of  society. ' ' 

The  women  shrank  back,  but  Winters  advanced, 
boldly  grasping  the  iron  in  both  hands. 

"  You  villain  !  You  pig  !"  shrieked  the  voice.  "  My 
breakfast!  My  bath  !  Bonjoiir,  ha,  ha,  ha!" 

"Well,  I'll  be — blamed!"  ejaculated  the  old  sailor, 
staring  open-mouthed  at  a  large  rose-colored  and  white 
parrot,  which  was  dancing  impatiently  upon  its  perch, 
shaking  its  gilded  chain  violently.  "You're  a  pretty 
one  to  be  left  in  charge  of  a  castle  ! ' ' 

"A  pretty  one!"  screeched  the  parrot,  putting  its 
head  on  one  side  knowingly.  '  "  A  pretty,  pretty,  pretty 
Pol-ly!" 

"The  poor  creature  hasn't  a  drop  of  water,  nor  a 
mouthful  to  eat!"  cried  Madeline,  who  had  quite  re- 
covered from  her  fright.  "No  wonder  that  he 
screamed  ! ' ' 

' '  Where  is  Pierre  ?' '  said  the  bird,  regarding  her 
gravely  out  of  its  red  eyes,  as  it  twisted  and  turned  on 
its  perch. 

"Where,  indeed?"  echoed  the  girl.  "But  we  must 
provide  for  your  wants  at  once,  poor  Polly." 

"  Let  me  go,  let  me  go  !"  screamed  the  bird. 

"Not  a  bad  suggestion,"  remarked  Baillot.  "And 
since  we  are  likely  to  be  pretty  well  occupied  in  attend- 

43 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ing  to  our  own  wants,  we  will  set  you  at  liberty. ' '  With 
that  he  unfastened  the  chain  from  the  leg  of  the  parrot 
and  opened  the  window. 

The  bird  flew  out  with  a  screech  of  delight,  and  was 
soon  lost  to  view  amid  the  masses  of  foliage. 

' '  Oh,  mother,  see  the  garden  ! ' '  exclaimed  Made- 
line, who  had  stepped  out  of  the  long  window  onto  a 
stone  balcony.  ' '  The  roses,  oh,  the  roses  ! ' ' 

Madame  de  Langres  looked  dreamily  at  the  beautiful 
scene  which  was  spread  out  beneath  them,  the  velvet 
lawns,  the  stone  balustrades  wreathed  with  flowering 
vines,  the  fountain  throwing  up  showers  of  crystal 
spray  into  the  bright  sunlight,  and  above  all  the  roses  ; 
roses  everywhere,  and  of  every  imaginable  color,  pink, 
white,  yellow,  deep  crimson,  banked  in  stately  pha- 
lanxes on  the  terraces,  twined  in  rich  profusion  about 
gleaming  statues,  and  breaking  in  a  many-colored  foam 
of  blossoms  high  up  on  the  grey  old  walls  of  the  cha- 
teau itself. 

"  'Tis  the  garden  of  my  dream,"  she  said  softly, 
"  the  garden  of  roses." 

' '  How  could  you  dream  of  what  you  had  never  seen  ?' ' 
asked  the  girl  in  a  tone  of  awed  curiosity. 

"I  cannot  tell  you,  my  daughter,"  replied  her 
mother,  "but  so  it  was.  On  that  terrible  night  in  the 
boat  when  I  at  last  became  unconscious  of  my  sur- 
roundings, I  seemed  to  find  myself  of  a  sudden  in  a 
garden  of  roses,  just  such  a  garden  as  this.  Let  us  de- 
scend into  it." 

A  flight  of  stone  steps  from  one  end  of  the  balcony 
gave  access  to  the  garden,  and  down  this  the  two  women 
went. 

"Yes,"  she  continued,  looking  about  her,  "this  is 
44 


THE  GARDEN  OF  ROSES 

the  very  place.  I  seemed  to  be  walking  here,  looking 
at  the  roses,  and  enjoying  their  sweetness.  I  stooped 
to  pluck  one,  when  suddenly  something  impelled  me 
to  look  up.  I  did  so,  and  saw  at  the  window  yonder 
the  figure  of  a  man." 

' '  That  is  the  room  where  we  found  the  book  on  the 
table,"  interrupted  Madeline  in  a  low  voice. 

"  I  saw  his  face  distinctly,  as  he  looked  out  of  the 
window ;  it  was  that  of  a  man  no  longer  young,  with 
large  dark  eyes,  an  acquiline  nose  and  a  full  mouth. 
It  was  a  handsome  face,  but  marked  by  a  look  of  ex- 
treme melancholy  and  weariness.  He  did  not  appear 
to  see  me,  though  his  eyes  rested  upon  the  very  spot 
where  I  was  standing.  Presently  he  raised  his  eyes  to 
heaven,  his  lips  moving  as  if  in  prayer,  then  he  stepped 
back  into  the  room  and  I  saw  him  no  more." 

"  Had  you  ever  seen  the  man  of  your  dream  in  the 
waking  world?"  questioned  Madeline. 

"  His  face  was  strangely  familiar,"  replied  her  mother 
musingly,  ''and  yet  I  cannot  tell  who  it  was.  Nay,  it 
eludes  me  like  a  bit  of  flying  thistle-down.  But  our 
companions  are  beckoning  to  us ;  perhaps  they  have 
made  some  further  discovery." 

' '  We  have  explored  every  room  in  this  part  of  the 
chateau,"  said  Baillot,  as  they  approached,  Madeline 
with  her  hands  full  of  roses.  "And  while  we  have 
found  no  sign  of  a  living  being  about  the  place,  we  have 
made  a  discovery  which  will  not  be  unwelcome  to  two 
ladies,  who  have  been  forced  to  leave  their  effects  be- 
hind them." 

' '  And  what  is  that,  monsieur, ' '  asked  Madame  de 
Langres,  glancing  down,  with  a  quiet  smile  at  her  travel- 
stained  garments. 

45 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"A  suite  of  apartments,  less  gorgeous,  it  is  true,  than 
those  we  have  just  seen,  but  seemingly  replete  with 
everything  you  will  need  after  your  toilsome  adven- 
tures. ' ' 

"Ay,  a  deal  of  woman's  gear,  but  not  a  grain  of 
'baccy,  so  far,"  said  Winters,  discontentedly  fingering 
his  empty  pouch.  "I'm  like  to  die  for  a  smoke,  sir." 

"You'd  best  explore  the  lower  regions  with  Cato, 
Winters,"  said  Baillot,  "while  I  show  the  ladies  to 
their  rooms. ' ' 

"Ah,  how  homelike  and  delightful!"  exclaimed 
Madeline,  as  the  young  man  threw  open  a  door  on  the 
left  of  the  corridor.  The  sunshine  lay  in  bright  patches 
upon  the  rich  carpet,  and  glimmered  gayly  upon  gilded 
cornice  and  crystal  chandelier,  while  an  abundance  of 
comfortable  chairs  and  couches  seemed  to  invite  to  re- 
pose. "  Let  us  stay  here  while  we  are  forced  to  remain 
— at  least  till  some  one  comes  to  dispossess  us,"  she 
added.  "As  for  the  rooms  we  have  seen,  I  do  not 
covet  them,  gorgeous  though  they  be. " 

"This  is  very  comfortable,"  said  her  mother  soberly. 
"  I  suppose  we  have  the  right  born  of  necessity  to  make 
ourselves  at  home  here.  Let  us  keep  within  easy  reach 
of  one  another,  for  I  confess  to  a  feeling  of  timidity, 
homelike  and  hospitable  as  the  place  appears. ' ' 

"  There  is  something  uncanny  about  its  perfect  order 
and  its  emptiness, ' '  observed  Baillot  with  a  shrug.  ' '  We 
should  be  less  at  a  loss  to  explain  a  musty  and  moulder- 
ing ruin  ;  yet  these  mysteries  have  often  very  prosaic 
explanations.  We  will  keep  together,  as  you  suggest, 
madame.  I  will  occupy  the  apartments  which  we  first 
examined.  Winters  shall  sleep  here  in  the  little  room 
at  your  right — if  I  am  not  mistaken  there  is  a  bell -rope  ; 

46 


THE  GARDEN  OF  ROSES 

yes,1  here  it  is,  which  will  enable  you  to  arouse  him  with 
ease.  While  Cato  shall  form  the  connecting  link  by 
curling  up  outside  upon  a  couch,  d  la  guard  of  the  bed- 
chamber," he  added  with  a  smile  and  bow. 

The  two  women  left  to  themselves  found,  as  Winters 
had  said,  an  abundance  of  woman's  gear  :  linen,  fine  as 
cob-web  ;  gowns,  sober  in  hue,  yet  of  rich  material,  but 
all  a  world  too  wide  for  the  slender  figures  of  the  two 
homeless  wanderers.  Nevertheless  they  donned  them, 
discarding  with  sighs  of  relief  their  own  travel-worn 
garments. 

"How  perfectly  delicious  !"  cried  Madeline,  as  she 
stood  before  the  dressing-table  fastening  up  the  masses 
of  her  dark  hair  with  jeweled  pins.  "  I  am  sure  if  the 
inhabitants  of  the  island  have  obligingly  left  all  these 
good  things  for  us,  I  should  like  nothing  better  than  to 
remain  here.  What  say  you,  dearest  mother?" 

"It  is  certainly  very  beautiful  and  very  homelike," 
replied  Madame  de  Langres,  her  eyes  wandering  about 
the  comfortable  chamber.  ' '  But  we  could  never  feel 
at  ease  here." 

Madeline  glanced  over  her  shoulder  with  an  appre- 
hensive shrug ;  then  she  laughed,  and  threw  open  the 
door  of  the  wardrobe.  "  Which  of  these  ample  robes, 
mother  dear,  will  you  choose  to  appear  in  ?  This  black 
satin,  when  I  shall  in  some  way  have  disposed  of  its 
superfluous  fullness,  will  become  you  rarely.  For  my- 
self, I  choose  this  gown  of  ruby  silk,  and  with  it  this 
lace -trimmed  neckerchief.  Only  fancy  if  the  door 
should  open  now,  and  the  stately  dame  to  whom  all 
belongs  should  appear  ! ' ' 

Even  as  she  spoke  there  came  a  light  tap  on  the 
door  of  the  outer  room.  "It's  only  me,  lady!" 

47 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

said  the  voice  of  Cato.     "  I'se  done  fixed  dinner  all 
ready!" 

Both  women  started  at  sight  of  the  figure  which 
awaited  them  at  the  end  of  the  corridor.  Clad  in  a 
habit  of  green  velvet,  which  set  off  his  athletic  figure 
to  perfection,  ruffles  of  costly  lace  half  concealing  his 
hands,  a  sword  hanging  at  his  side,  they  at  first  failed 
to  recognize  the  young  sailor. 

He  came  forward,  a  dark  flush  rising  to  his  cheek  at 
sight  of  their  astonishment. 

"  I  do  not  wonder  that  you  are  surprised  to  see  me  so 
gayly  attired,"  he  said  hastily,  "but  I  could  find 
nothing  plainer,  and  the  temptation  to  rid  myself  of  my 
wretched  travel -stained  clothing  was  too  great  to  with- 
stand the  sight  of  an  ample  wardrobe. ' ' 

"You  need  not  apologize,"  said  Madame  de  Lan- 
gres  smiling.  "  We  have  also  made  free  with  what  we 
found  ;  I  trust  the  owners  will  forgive  us  the  liberty  we 
have  taken." 

The  party  now  moved  forward  to  the  room  which 
Cato  had  chosen  for  a  dining-room,  and  where  he  had 
set  forth  an  inviting  meal.  "  Where  is  Mr.  Winters?" 
said  Madame  de  Langres,  pausing  as  she  was  about  to 
seat  herself  at  the  table. 

Cato  looked  slightly  scandalized.  "  He  am  smoking 
in  de  courtyard  off  de  kitchen,  lady,"  he  said  with  an 
apologetic  duck  of  his  woolly  head.  "  He  done  ate  a 
saucepanful  of  meat,  an'  a  loaf  of  bread  'bout  half  an 
hour  ago. ' ' 

Madeline  laughed  outright.  "  Then  we  need  feel  no 
further  anxiety  about  our  good  friend  for  the  present, ' ' 
she  said.  "  What  are  your  plans  for  the  afternoon, 
monsieur  ?' ' 

48 


THE  GARDEN  OF  ROSES 

"There  is  nothing  to  do  more  important  than  to 
finish  the  exploration  of  the  castle,"  replied  the  young 
man;  "then  if  time  serves  us  Winters  and  I  intend 
making  a  hasty  tour  of  the  island. ' ' 

' '  Will  not  that  involve  a  further  separation  of  our 
little  company ?"  said  Madame  de  Langres.  "I  con- 
fess to  feeling  timid  about  being  left  alone  in  this  place, 
and  I  fear  I  am  not  equal  to  much  further  exertion  to- 
day." 

"Especially  as  neither  of  us  slept  last  night !"  said 
Madeline  impulsively. 

Baillot  turned  his  dark  eyes  upon  the  young  girl  with 
a  gravely  inquiring  expression,  but  he  said  nothing. 

' '  We  were  in  momentary  expectation  of  your  return, 
monsieur,  and  could  hardly  be  expected  to  guess  that 
so  trifling  a  cause  as  a  wandering  breeze  had  detained 
you,"  she  said,  returning  his  look  with  a  haughty  lift- 
ing of  her  small  head. 

The  young  man  smiled.  "  If  mademoiselle  had  been 
with  us  in  the  more  than  Egyptian  darkness  of  the 
chateau  last  night,  I  think  she  would  have  been  ready 
to  forgive  what  otherwise  had  been  unpardonable.  I 
was  ready  to  plunge  ahead  in  the  darkness  at  whatever 
risk  to  life  or  limb,  but  Winters  cried  a  halt,  or  rather 
in  his  own  phraseology  he  insisted  upon  '  dropping 
anchor  '  for  the  night. ' ' 

"And  he  was  quite  right!"  declared  Madame  de 
Langres.  "  I  am  astonished,  my  child,  that  you  so  pet- 
ulantly criticise  our  brave  friend.  But  to  avoid  another 
occurrence  of  the  kind  could  we  not  defer  the  explora- 
tion of  the  island  till  to-morrow  ?  We  shall  then  be 
refreshed,  and  can  dare  the  perils,  if  perils  there  be, 
together." 

4  49 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  The  island  is  very  small ;  I  learned  that  much  with 
a  single  glance  from  one  of  the  turrets,  which  I  ascended 
this  morning  ! ' ' 

"  And  did  you  see  any  further  sign  of  human  habita- 
tion ?' '  questioned  Madeline  eagerly. 

"  That  you  shall  see  for  yourself,"  replied  the  young 
man. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

EHEU 

A  CRY  of  disappomment  broke  from  the  lips  of 
Madame  de  Langres  as  the  party  emerged  from  the  nar- 
row winding  stairway  which  led  up  into  the  turret. 

"  How  small,  how  very  small  it  is  !" 

Madeline  advanced  in  silence  to  the  battlemented 
verge.  Directly  beneath  lay  the  garden  glowing  with 
color,  flanked  on  either  side  by  orchards  wherein  the 
yellow  glow  of  oranges  shining  amid  the  masses  of 
dark  foliage  could  be  distinctly  seen.  Below  the  or- 
chards stretched  a  park-like  expanse  of  glade  and 
meadow,  interspersed  with  groups  of  lofty  trees  ;  and 
beyond  all  the  sea,  its  dim  blue  reach  unbroken  by  land 
or  sail,  swept  about  the  vast  rim  of  the  horizon. 

' '  Are  not  those  the  roofs  of  cottages  ?' '  said  the 
young  girl  at  length,  pointing  to  a  little  opening  among 
the  trees  at  the  left. 

"Yes,  miss,"  said  Winters,  who  had  joined  them, 
"cottages  they  be,  but  as  empty  as  this  'ere  place  of 
human  beings.  'Twas  there  I  found  my  'baccy  by  rare 
good  luck,  an'  this  suit  of  fustian  which  I  made  free  to 
borrow,"  and  he  glanced  down  at  his  person  with  evi- 
dent satisfaction.  "  Whar  the  owners  of  all  these 
things  be,  God  A' mighty  knows  !  Mayhap  they  all  be 
dead  of  some  plague. ' ' 

At   this   grim   suggestion   the  women   turned   pale. 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

' '  What  a  terrible  explanation  of  the  mystery  ! ' '  ex- 
claimed Madeline  faintly. 

"  A  most  unlikely  one  to  my  mind,  Winters  ;  your 
find  of  tobacco  should  have  brought  you  more  cheerful 
imaginings!"  said  Baillot  frowning.  "There  is  no 
trace  of  any  such  tragedy,  no  sign  of  disorder,  and 
above  all,  no  survivor  dead  or  alive.  They  could  not 
all  have  buried  themselves,  man  ! ' ' 

"True,  cap'n,"  said  Winters,  scratching  his  head 
reflectively.  "Mayhap  the  last  one  went  crazy  an' 
jumped  into  the  sea.  I  heerd  of  the  like  once  when  I 
was  cruisin'  in  the  Indies." 

"The  devil  take  you,  Winters  !  What  do  you  mean 
by  such  nonsense  ?' '  exclaimed  Baillot  wrathfully.  "  We 
must  explore  the  island  now,  whether  or  no,  or  '  tis  little 
sleep  will  visit  our  pillows  to-night." 

"Best  board  the  yacht,  sir,  an'  git  away  to  sea," 
said  the  old  sailor  with  a  hitch  at  his  trousers.  "  I've 
been  looking  her  over;  she's  a  beauty,  she  is,  an'  as 
sound  as  a  nut.  We're  sure  to  strike  one  of  the  larger 
islands  before  many  days.  WThat  do  you  say,  ma'am, 
to  a  bit  of  a  cruise,  with  Winters  at  the  helm  ?' ' 

' '  I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  entrusting  our  lives  to 
yonder  frail  vessel  after  our  terrible  experience  of  a  few 
days  since, ' '  said  Madame  de  Langres  in  a  voice  which 
trembled  slightly,  "though  you  may  be  assured  of  our 
confidence  in  you,  my  friend." 

"'Tis  not  to  be  thought  of,"  declared  Baillot  de- 
cidedly ;  "  we  shall  undoubtedly  find  maps  and  charts 
somewhere  about  the  place  which  will  render  such  a 
course  less  certain  to  end  in  disaster.  But  to  start  out 
in  yonder  cockle-shell  not  knowing  whither  to  steer  our 
course — Peste  !  I  wonder  at  you,  man,  for  proposing  it !" 

52 


EHEU 

"Ay,  ay,  sir  !  'Tis  not  for  me  to  think,  only  to  obey 
orders.  I  only  hope  the  next  twenty-four  hours  will 
find  us  all  alive  and  hearty, ' '  said  the  old  sailor  in  an 
aggrieved  tone. 

"Even  should  your  horrible  conjecture  be  true,  sir, 
what  advantage  would  there  be  in  being  aboard  the 
yacht?"  asked  Madeline  with  a  shudder.  "  If  we 
must  die,  let  it  at  least  be  on  solid  ground,  without  the 
accompaniment  of  the  mal  de  mer. ' ' 

"Ay,  that's  what  a  landsman  thinks!"  cried  the 
sailor.  "  But  no  bed  of  wormy  earth  for  Jack  Winters ; 
twenty  fathoms  of  blue  water  for  me,  where  the  honest 
brine  will  keep  my  old  bones  in  pickle  till  the  resurrec- 
tion trumpets  call  'em  to  the  daylight !" 

"Tut,  man,  have  done  with  your  fool's  talk  !  Let's 
get  us  about  our  business  ! ' '  said  the  young  Huguenot. 
"  Could  not  you  ladies  explore  the  library  for  the  maps 
and  charts  which  were  so  singularly  missing  on  board 
the  yacht,  while  we  take  a  hasty  tramp  about  the 
island?" 

* '  We  can  and  will, ' '  declared  Madeline  stoutly ;  "this 
is  no  time  for  idle  fears.  Let  us  be  about  it  at  once  !" 

Accordingly  all  descended  the  narrow  stairway,  the 
women  with  Cato  remaining  in  the  chateau,  while  the 
two  men  set  forth  on  their  tour  of  investigation. 

"Let  us  finish  the  exploration  of  the  castle,  while 
they  are  absent,"  proposed  Madame  de  Langres. 
"The  sooner  we  learn  all  the  secrets  of  this  old  pile, 
the  better  for  our  peace  of  mind. ' ' 

"I'se  done  looked  in  all  de  cellars,"  said  Cato, 
"mighty  dark  and  cold.  Muffin  dere  but  heaps  of  boxes 
an'  barrels,  an'  all  full  ob  good  victuals,  praise  de 
Lawd  !  More'n  we  eat  in  a  year.  Dere's  ben  a  heap 

53 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ob  folks  in  dis  yer  castle  not  many  days  ago  ;  de  Lawd 
knows  whar  dey  all  is. ' ' 

"  Did  you  find  anything  which  would  lead  you  to 
think  that  there  had  been  sickness  in  the  chateau?" 
asked  Madeline  anxiously. 

"  Not  a  ting,  lady ;  all  jes  perfec',  as  dough  dey  jes' 
stepped  out,  'spectin'  to  be  right  back.  Der  was  bread 
bakin'  in  de  oven,  an'  a  roas'  hangin'  on  de  spit. 
An'  a  power  ob  cold  victuals  in  de  larder,  all  fresh  an' 
good.  Dey  surely  went  sudden  ! ' ' 

The  three  were  traversing  the  picture-gallery  during 
this  conversation,  and  Madeline's  eye  wandered  idly 
over  the  walls  as  they  passed.  Under  any  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances she  would  have  lingered  in  delight  before 
many  of  the  pictures,  but  now  she  only  remarked  one 
thing. 

"  Have  you  noticed,  mother,  that  while  we  see  here 
pictures  of  land  and  sea,  of  fruit  and  flowers,  that  there 
is  not  a  single  portrait?"  she  said.  "Is  not  that  a 
curious  circumstance  ?' ' 

"I  had  not  thought  of  it,"  confessed  her  mother, 
"but  surely  we  should  find  in  such  a  collection  some 
evidence  of  family  pride.  There  is  at  least  an  indica- 
tion of  the  peaceful  taste  of  the  owner,  since  we  see  no 
battle -scenes.  For  my  part  I  am  coming  to  believe 
that  this  has  been  the  scene  of  a  very  tranquil  existence. ' ' 

"Tranquil — yes,  but  how  dreary,  shut  in  by  yonder 
impassible  barrier  of  blue  sea  ! ' ' 

Meanwhile  the  two  men  were  tramping  silently  along 
towards  that  part  of  the  island  where  were  the  cottages, 
whose  roofs  they  had  seen  from  the  turret  of  the  chateau, 
and  which,  as  we  have  seen,  had  already  been  visited 
by  Winters. 

54 


EHEU 

"This  is  the  place,  sir,  where  I  found  my  'baccy, 
an'  where  I  helped  myself  to  some  clothes,"  said 
Winters,  as  they  approached  a  small  cottage  built  of 
rough-hewn  stone  and  thatched  with  straw.  The  rustic 
porch  was  garlanded  with  a  climbing  rose,  whose  luxu- 
riant branches  had  flung  themselves  in  graceful  festoons 
to  the  roof,  whereon  it  had  burst  into  a  very  carnival 
of  bloom,  over  which  looked  forth  the  sleepy  eyes  of 
two  dormer  windows. 

"  If  we  must  stay  on  this  'ere  island,"  continued  the 
old  sailor,  "this  place  were  more  to  my  mind  for  our 
little  company.  More  wholesome,  sir,  an'  not  so 
ghostly  as  yonder  pile  of  stone. ' ' 

"My  faith,  man,  I  believe  you're  right !"  said  Bail- 
lot.  "  How  about  the  inside?" 

"Come  in  an'  see,  sir.  Honest  folk  have  bided 
under  this  roof;  it  has  the  right  look  to  it,"  replied 
Winters,  opening  the  door. 

Baillot  entered  after  him  and  looked  about  the  little 
room.  There  was  an  ample  chimney-place  on  one 
side,  a  heap  of  white  ashes  showing  where  the  last  fire 
had  burned  itself  away.  By  the  hearth  stood  a  high- 
backed  chair  and  near  it  a  cradle,  its  draperies  hanging 
carelessly  upon  the  floor,  as  if  its  little  occupant  had 
been  hastily  removed.  In  one  corner  a  dresser  dis- 
played upon  its  spotless  shelves  shining  mugs  and  plat- 
ters of  pewter,  and  upon  the  table  near  the  window  was 
a  bit  of  sewing,  the  needle  still  sticking  in  its  folds. 
Upon  this  quiet  scene,  quiet,  yet  many-voiced  in  its 
quaint  simplicity,  looked  down  the  white  face  of  the  old 
clock,  silent  too,  its  hands  pointing  to  eight  o'clock. 

Both  men  instinctively  uncovered  their  heads  in  this 
humble  interior. 

55 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Is  there  anything  upstairs  that  we  need  see  ?"  said 
Baillot,  after  a  long  silence.  "  If  not  we  must  go 
on." 

"Nothing,  sir,  but  the  chambers;  nothin'  fancy 
about  'em,  but  plain  and  neat.  I  tell  you,  sir,  not  all 
the  brine  was  in  the  sea  yonder,  when  I  first  clapped 
my  eyes  onto  this  little  place.  It's  been  a  home  to 
somebody,  an'  there's  been  a  deal  of  love  here,  I'm 
thinkin'.  It  put  me  in  mind  of  the  place  I  used  to 
have  years  ago  in  England.  Many  a  time  when  I  was 
on  the  deck  of  a  stormy  night,  that  little  place  'ud  rise 
before  my  eyes  as  plain  as  day,  and  I  could  almost  hear 
a  little  yellow -haired  lad  a  callin'  me  daddy  !  But  he's 
quiet  now  for  many  a  long  year  in  the  churchyard,  an' 
his  mother  beside  him,  poor  lass.  She'd  a  deal  of 
trouble,  an'  I  fear  I  wasn't  the  least  of  'em,  with  my 
wild  ways.  The  sight  of  this  quiet  little  place  an' 
yonder  empty  cradle's  brought  it  all  back  to  me, 
though  I  left  it  astern  a  matter  of  twenty  years  ago. ' ' 
And  the  old  man  drew  his  sleeve  across  his  eyes. 
"  Yonder' s  the  barn -yard,"  he  continued.  "  I  saw  two 
fine  cattle  grazing  in  the  field  behind  it.  Down  this 
way  there  are  two  other  cottages,  laborer's  huts,  empty 
like  the  rest ;  I  didn't  go  no  further." 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  the  Huguenot,  "let  us  go 
in  this  direction ;  it  was  among  the  trees  on  yonder 
slope  that  we  caught  the  gleam  of  something  white  from 
the  deck  of  the  yacht. ' ' 

They  now  turned  their  steps  towards  the  left,  and 
soon  came  in  sight  of  a  graceful  little  gothic  building  of 
white  marble.  It  stood  on  a  slight  elevation  and  was 
almost  concealed  from  view  by  the  thick  masses  of  foli- 
age which  surrounded  it. 

56 


EHEU 

"And  what  may  that  be,  do  you  think,  sir?"  said 
Winters. 

"It  may  be  a  summer-house,"  replied  the  young 
man,  "since  it  commands  a  fine  view  of  the  sea,  or — " 
he  did  not  finish  the  sentence,  for  they  had  now  ap- 
proached the  entrance  of  the  building. 

"It  is  unmistakably — a  tomb,"  he  added  in  a  low 
voice. 

The  dome  of  most  graceful  shape  rested  upon  groups 
of  clustered  pillars,  and  beneath  it  the  figure  of  an 
angel,  with  half-furled  wings,  stood  as  if  guarding  the 
sarcophagus  at  its  feet.  The  attitude  of  this  figure  at 
once  attracted  the  attention ;  with  one  hand  out- 
stretched, as  if  in  warning,  the  forefinger  of  the  other 
resting  upon  its  lips,  it  seemed  to  entreat  eternal  silence. 
Upon  the  tomb  itself  was  neither  armorial  bearing  nor 
inscription,  only  a  single  word  carved  in  bold  relief, 
Eheu. 

For  several  moments  the  two  men  stood  motionless, 
gazing  at  the  beautiful  downcast  face  of  the  silent  guar- 
dian. The  sunshine  streamed  cheerfully  in  across  the 
marble  floor,  a  crimson  rose  dropped  its  petals  noise- 
lessly upon  the  velvet  grass,  the  low  thunder  of  the 
surf  upon  the  beach  below  sounding  a  fitting  requiem 
for  the  dead. 

"  There  be  the  others  !"  said  Winters  at  length  in  a 
hoarse  whisper,  pointing  outside. 

"None  of  them  are  of  recent  date,"  said  Baillot 
stooping  to  examine  the  moss-grown  stones.  With 
some  difficulty  he  deciphered  the  words  on  one  of  them. 
Pierre  Michaux,  died  June  16,  1630,  and  Desire  his 
wife,  April  3,  1635. 

"There  is  nothing  here,  Winters,  to  bear  out  your 
57 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

horrible  explanation  of  the  uninhabited  condition  of  the 
island,"  he  continued.  "  There  have  been  no  burials 
of  late,  except  perhaps — ' '  and  he  pointed  significantly 
towards  the  mausoleum.  "  But  we  must  hurry  on  if 
we  would  complete  the  circuit  of  the  island  before  sun- 
down. ' ' 

"I'm  not  afeared  of  anything  we  may  meet,"  said 
Winters.  "  Suppose  you  go  in  one  direction,  an'  I  in 
another.  "We'll  meet  at  the  castle  in  less  than  an 
hour." 

Accordingly  they  parted,  the  young  man  turning  to 
the  left  along  the  brow  of  the  cliff.  He  walked  rap- 
idly, stopping  now  and  again  to  look  about  him.  The 
country  through  which  he  passed  was  comparatively 
open,  and  resembled  a  well-kept  park  on  any  gentle- 
man's estate.  Here  were  the  covers  for  game,  and 
there  a  pond  white  with  lilies,  a  tiny  boat  fastened 
under  the  overhanging  foliage  on  its  bank.  Now  he 
startled  a  quiet  group  of  sheep,  or  caught  the  tinkle  of 
a  bell  from  the  neck  of  some  sleek  cow  grazing  tran- 
quilly in  the  shade.  Of  human  habitation  or  presence 
there  was  no  further  trace.  He  arrived  at  the  castle 
gate  before  sundown,  and  was  greeted  by  Winters  who 
had  entered  just  before  him. 

"There's  not  a  soul  on  the  island,  sir,"  said  the 
sailor,  ' '  unless  you  found  somebody  ;  I  made  thorough 
work  of  my  half  an'  saw  nothing  except  a  few  culti- 
vated fields  an'  a  group  of  barns.  But  when  I  climbed 
a  tree  yonder  to  take  a  good  look  in  every  direction  I 
tell  you  what  I  did  see,"  and  he  lowered  his  voice 
slightly,  ' '  I  saw  a  sail ! " 

"A  sail !"  repeated  Baillot,  "coming  this  way?" 

"That  I  couldn't  say  for  sure,  sir.     That  little  craft 
58 


EHEU 

skims  like  a  swallow  ;  we  might  overhaul  her  after  a  bit, 
an'  so  escape." 

' '  If  we  were  perishing  for  food  and  drink,  and  were 
forced  to  it,  man,  we  might  try  it,"  replied  the  young 
man  slowly.  "  But  night  will  soon  close  in  on  us,  and 
I  fear  we  should  repent  our  rashness  before  morning. ' ' 

"Ay,  ay,  sir  !  jes'  as  you  say,"  said  the  old  man  in 
a  disappointed  tone.  "  But  God  knows  when  we'll  git 
another  such  chance." 

"  If  the  ladies  have  succeeded  in  discovering  any 
maps  we  might  attempt  it,"  remarked  Baillot  after  a 
thoughtful  pause.  "  Let  us  go  and  find  them." 

A  very  few  moments  sufficed  to  settle  that  question. 

' '  There  are  neither  maps  nor  chart ! ' '  declared  Made- 
line. "And  we  have  made  thorough  search  in  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  library.  The  left  wing  of  the 
chateau  contains  a  chapel, "  she  continued,  "with  altar, 
candles,  and  a  beautiful  picture  of  the  Ascension  ;  there 
is  a  great  hall  on  the  ground-floor  opening  upon  the 
terraces,  and  a  wilderness  of  chambers  and  corridors, 
above  that  the  turret  chambers  and  the  battlements. 
That  is  all." 

"Then  you  may  rest  assured  of  safety  to-night!" 
said  the  young  man  bending  his  dark  eyes  admiringly 
upon  her  glowing  face,  "for  Winters  and  I  can  assure 
you  that  there  is  no  living  being  upon  the  island." 

The  party,  fatigued  by  the  day's  excitement,  retired 
early  to  rest,  the  arrangement  of  the  sleeping  apart- 
ments being  as  Baillot  had  suggested.  For  a  long  time 
after  the  others  were  wrapped  in  slumber,  the  young 
man  sat  in  the  great  chair  before  the  empty  fireplace  of 
the  mysterious  bedchamber,  deep  in  thought.  His  own 
past,  his  uncertain  future,  the  mysteries  of  his  surround- 

59 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ings,  the  haunting  loveliness  of  Madeline,  all  in  turn 
flitted  through  his  wearied  brain,  till  at  length  his  head 
fell  forward  on  his  breast  and  he  slept  profoundly.  He 
was  aroused  suddenly  by  the  sound  of  some  heavy 
object  falling  to  the  floor ;  in  an  instant  he  was  on  his 
feet,  dazed  and  half-blind  with  sleep,  but  instinctively 
reaching  for  his  pistol  which  he  had  placed  on  the  table 
at  his  side,  when  of  a  sudden  he  was  seized  from  behind, 
blindfolded,  bound  and  gagged  with  incredible  strength 
and  swiftness. 


60 


CHAPTER    IX 

A    CRY    IN    THE   NIGHT 

DESPITE  her  extreme  fatigue,  or  perhaps  because  of  it, 
Madame  de  Langres  slept  but  little  during  the  early  part 
of  the  night.  Towards  midnight  she  was  aroused  from 
an  uneasy  doze  by  some  sound,  the  nature  of  which  she 
was  unable  to  determine.  Raising  her  head  from  the 
pillow,  she  listened  intently.  The  noise  was  not  re- 
peated, and  after  awhile  she  again  fell  into  a  light 
slumber.  But  she  was  shortly  aroused  a  second  time  by 
her  daughter. 

"What  is  it,  Madeline?"  she  asked  in  alarm. 

' '  I  heard  some  one  cry  out. ' ' 

"Where?" 

"  I  do  not  know.  I  was  sound  asleep  and  dreaming  ; 
suddenly  I  heard  a  cry  j  '  Winters,  help  ! '  were  the 
words  ;  then  immediately  I  awoke.  The  words  were  no 
dream,  and  the  voice  was  that  of  M.  Baillot. ' ' 

"  The  voice  was  doubtless  but  a  part  of  your  dream, 
my  child.  That  you  should  be  visited  by  disquieting 
visions  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Come  back  to  your 
pillow  and  rest  till  morning,  you  are  over  weary." 

The  young  girl  obeyed  reluctantly,  but  she  lay  for  a 
long  time  open-eyed  in  the  darkness,  her  ears  strained 
to  catch  the  slightest  sound.  Save  for  the  wind  which 
sighed  drearily  down  the  wide  chimney,  and  the  drowsy 
chirping  of  insects  on  the  lawn  below,  there  was  no 
sound  to  break  the  silence  of  the  night.  At  length  re- 

61 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

assured  by  the  peaceful  quiet,  and  the  soft  regular 
breathing  of  the  sleeper  by  her  side,  the  young  girl's 
eyelids  fell  and  she  too  slept. 

It  was  morning  when  she  awoke,  and  the  bright  sun- 
light streamed  cheerily  in  at  the  open  window.  Madame 
de  Langres  was  standing  by  the  dressing-table  putting 
the  last  touches  to  her  toilet. 

"  Good  morning,  my  daughter,"  she  said  cheerfully. 
"You  see  that  I  was  right  after  all.  Did  you  not  rest 
well  after  your  disturbing  dream  ?' ' 

"  I  slept  profoundly,"  replied  the  young  girl  drowsily. 
"As  for  my  dream,  I  have  forgotten  it  all — save  the  shout 
for  help,  and  that  was  doubtless  fancy  like  the  rest. ' ' 

"Come  to  the  window,  dear,  and  you  will  see  that 
we  have  some  other  visitors  which  we  did  not  see  yes- 
terday." 

Madeline  needed  no  second  bidding ;  she  was  out  of 
bed  in  an  instant.  On  the  lawn  below  several  magnifi- 
cent white  peacocks  were  strutting  about ;  one  of  them, 
evidently  the  master  of  the  flock,  with  his  tail  spread 
to  its  widest  extent,  was  displaying  his  gorgeous  plumage 
to  his  admiring  consorts. 

"What  beautiful  birds,"  exclaimed  Madeline.  "I 
never  saw  white  peacocks  before  ! ' ' 

' '  They  are  very  rare, ' '  replied  her  mother.  ' '  But  I 
remember  to  have  seen  some  of  that  color  once  while 
travelling  in  England. — But  there  is  Mr.  Winters,  and 
evidently  disturbed  about  something  ;  perhaps  an  acci- 
dent has  befallen  the  yacht. ' ' 

Madeline  was  dressing  with  rapid  fingers.  "I  must 
play  housemaid  to-day,  mother,"  she  said  gleefully. 
"  Old  Cato  will  scarcely  be  able  to  do  the  work  of  this 
mansion  unaided.  I  mean  to  gather  a  quantity  of  those 

62 


A  CRY  IN  THE  NIGHT 

lovely  roses  and  trim  that  charming  drawing  room  which 
looks  out  upon  the  terrace." 

The  two  now  emerged  from  their  chamber  into  the 
corridor,  where  they  shortly  encountered  the  old  sailor. 
He  stopped  short  on  beholding  them  with  so  distressed 
an  expression  on  his  broad  weather-beaten  countenance 
that  Madame  de  Langres  who  was  on  the  point  of  greet- 
ing him  cheerfully  exclaimed  in  alarm  : 

"What  has  happened,  sir?  You  look  as  woe-begone 
as  if  you  had  met  with  some  great  misfortune. ' ' 

"That  I  have,  ma'am,"  said  the  old  man,  shaking 
his  head  with  a  dismal  groan.  "  'Twill  prove  a  mis- 
fortune for  us  all,  unless  I  find  him  somewhars. ' ' 

"Find  whom?  Who  is  missing?"  cried  Madeline 
anxiously. 

"No  other  than  young  Baillot,  miss,  an'  things  look 
pretty  black.  I  turned  out  early  an'  went  to  rouse 
Cato  who  was  sleepin'  on  the  bench  yonder,  by  the 
cap'n's  orders.  I  found  him  tied  up  hard  an'  fast  an' 
gagged  into  the  bargain.  '  What  does  this  mean,  you 
black  rascal,'  I  says,  loosin'  him.  '  Who  trussed  you  up 
in  this  ere  fashion  ?'  He  was  so  stiff  and  frightened  that 
he  could  hardly  speak  at  first,  but  after  a  bit  he  limbered 
up  his  tongue  an'  told  me  as  how  he'd  been  sleepin' 
sound  for  a  matter  of  a  couple  of  hours,  as  nigh  as  he 
could  tell,  when  on  a  sudden  somebody  made  a  grab  at 
him  in  the  dark ;  he  tried  to  yell,  but  they  choked  a 
monstrous  gag  into  his  mouth,  then  tied  him  up  an'  left 
him.  He  had  a  notion  that  if  he  could  only  call  me  or 
the  cap'n  that  everything  would  be  ship-shape  directly, 
so  he  wiggles  and  twists,  an'  being  near  the  edge  of  the 
bench,  pretty  soon  off  he  goes  on  to  the  floor  with  a 
tremendous  whack. ' ' 

63 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Did  he  see  who  his  assailants  were?"  asked  Made- 
line with  trembling  lips. 

"  I  was  just  comin'  to  that,  miss  ;  when  he  succeeded 
in  rolling  off  onto  the  floor,  he  lay  there  for  a  bit 
half-stunned,  for  the  bench  was  high  and  his  head  got  a 
stunning  thwack ;  he  hears  somebody  steppin'  cau- 
tiously near,  an'  by  the  light  of  a  lantern  sees  two  men 
lookin"  at  him.  '  Let  him  be,'  whispers  one.  'He's 
hard  an'  fast  an'  we  must  make  haste.'  There  were 
two  of  the  scoundrels ;  sailors  by  their  dress,  says  Cato, 
sailors  by  the  knots  in  the  ropes  as  bound  him,  says  I. 
Wall,  I  then  puts  for  the  cap' n's  room,  and  after  knock- 
ing an'  gettin'  no  answer,  I  tries  the  door;  it  opens 
easy,  and  I  go  in  to  find  the  cap'n  missin'  while  his 
window  is  wide  open  an'  a  handsome  bit  of  tackle  hang- 
in'  out.  Yes,  miss,  by  that  ere  tackle,  some  time  in  the 
course  of  the  night  the  cap'n  took  leave,  for  he  ain't 
no  whars  to  be  found  on  the  island  ! ' ' 

"Do  you  mean,"  said  Madame  de  Langres,  "that 
he  left  us  of  his  own  accord,  or  that  he  was  carried  off?" 

"  How  can  you  ask,  mother?"  exclaimed  Madeline 
indignantly.  "Do  you  think  for  a  moment  that  he 
would  abandon  us  to  our  fate  now,  when  he  remained 
behind  on  the  wrecked  vessel  ?' ' 

"In  course,  it's  plain  enough,"  said  Winters  gloom- 
ily. "He  was  carried  off;  but  how  they  done  it,  I 
don't  see,  for  he's  monstrous  strong  is  young  Baillot, 
an'  a  pluckier  lad  ne'er  climbed  a  mast.  Another 
thing  I  can't  see  for  the  life  of  me  is  who  carried  him 
off,  an'  why?" 

"  He  was  carried  off  because  he  slept  in  that  dreadful 
room  !"  wailed  Madeline,  wringing  her  hands.  "  Where 
is  Cato?  I  must  ask  him  about  it,  and — oh,  Mr. 

64 


A  CRY  IN  THE  NIGHT 

Winters,  did  you  climb  the  tower  and  look  ?     Perhaps 
the  ship  that  carried'  him  away  is  visible. ' ' 

"I  ain't  so  sure  that  he  was  carried  off  in  a  ship, 
though  'twas  sailors  as  done  the  job  plain  enough. 
Suppose  now  that  this  'ere  place  belongs  to  smugglers 
or  pirates  ;  they  might  have  some  hidin'  -place,  a  cave 
or  suthin  of  that  sort,  an'  be  a  lay  in'  low  for  the  rest 
of  us." 

"That  is  true  !"  cried  Madeline  with  a  quick  shud- 
der. "Did  you  hear  any  noise  in  the  night?"  she 
asked,  dropping  her  voice. 

' '  No,  miss,  I  was  dead  tired,  an'  slept  like  a  log. 
They  must  have  been  mighty  quiet,  though  Cato  says 
he  is  sure  that  he  heard  the  cap'n  cry  out  once  some- 
whars  outside. ' ' 

"Ah!"  cried  Madeline,  with  a  sobbing  breath,  "I 
heard  it  also  !  Why — why  did  I  not  rouse  you  at  once, 
for  it  was  for  you  he  called  ?  '  Winters,  help  ! '  were 
the  words.  Oh  mother,  why  did  you  persuade  me 
that  I  was  only  dreaming?  We  might  have  saved 
him." 

The  old  sailor  shook  his  head.  ' '  They  that  took 
him  was  prepared  for  anything  that  might  happen  ;  if 
I  had  tried  to  save  him  there  'ud  be  no  Jack  Winters 
here  this  morning." 

The  young  girl  silently  wrung  her  hands.  "  Where  is 
Cato  ?' '  she  repeated. 

But  Cato  could  throw  no  further  light  on  the  subject 
beyond  confirming  the  fact  that  the  missing  man  had 
shouted  for  help  in  the  words  that  Madeline  had  heard. 

"  Dey  didn't  hurt  him,  lady,"  he  said  consolingly. 
"  Der  ain't  no  sign  of  blood  anywheres;  mebby  dey 
bring  him  back,  when  dey  fin's  out  who  he  is." 
5  65 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  But  we  don't  know  who  he  is,"  said  Madeline  des- 
pairingly. 

"  He  ain't  never  sailed  afore  the  mast  till  this  v'yage. 
An'  that's  been  plain  to  me  sense  the  day  we  sailed," 
observed  Winters.  "  But  now  let's  get  a  bit  of  suthin 
to  eat,  an'  then  see  what's  best  to  be  done.  I  ain't  in 
favor  of  spending  much  more  time  in  this  blarsted  castle 
— askin'  your  pardon  for  the  word,  ma'am.  I  never 
thought  much  of  stoppin'  here  ;  'tain't  suitable  quarters 
for  shipwrecked  folks.  Now  thar's  two  things  we  can 
do,  we  can  move  down  into  that  little  cottage  yonder — 
a  snug  and  wholesome  place,  an'  good  enough  for  any- 
body, or  we  can  take  to  the  yacht  and  put  to  sea.  If 
we'd  done  that  yiste'day,  we'd  'a'  been  many  a  mile 
away  from  this  tarnal  place." 

"Yes,"  said  Madeline  sorrowfully,  "and  no  one 
missing,  while  now — ' '  and  she  turned  and  stared  with 
unseeing  eyes  at  the  wide  blue  horizon. 

"  Our  position  is  certainly  a  most  difficult  one,"  said 
Madame  de  Langres  anxiously.  "  I  hardly  know  what 
to  advise.  Would  it  not  be  well-nigh  impossible  to 
navigate  the  yacht  with  so  small  a  force  ?  Madeline  and 
I  hardly  count  as  able  seamen,"  she  added  with  a  shad- 
owy smile,  ' '  while  old  Cato  must  needs  be  somewhat 
inexperienced  in  nautical  affairs." 

"Ay,  ay,  ma'am,"  replied  Winters,  rolling  a  quid 
of  tobacco  about  in  his  capacious  mouth  with  the  air  of 
a  ruminating  ox.  "  You're  land-lubbers  all,  an'  more's 
the  pity ;  but  I  reckon  ye  don't  want  to  stay  here  to  be 
et  up  alive  by  a  lot  of  pirates,  do  ye?  We'd  have  to 
take  on  board  a  plenty  of  cooked  victuals,  an'  I'd  soon 
shake  some  sea  sense  into  that  black  rascal,  Cato. ' ' 

Madame  de  Langres  was  silent  for  several  minutes ; 
66 


A  CRY  IN  THE  NIGHT 

she  was  evidently  thinking  deeply.  "  I  am  not  of  the 
opinion,"  she  said  at  length,  "  that  this  is  the  abode  of 
either  pirates  or  smugglers ;  nor  do  I  think  that  our 
companion  was  spirited  away  by  such,  for  there  is  no 
evidence  of  brutality  on  their  part.  For  example,  it 
would  have  been  far  easier  for  them  to  have  stabbed  the 
negro,  and  thus  silenced  him  effectually.  Nor  is  there 
the  slightest  sign  of  any  lust  for  plunder,  though  the 
place  is  not  lacking  in  objects  of  value.  I  agree  with 
you,  my  friend,  in  thinking  that  our  small  company 
would  be  better  housed  in  yonder  cottage,  where  we 
would  be  within  easy  reach  of  one  another,  than  in  this 
deserted  pile.  But  I  confess  to  shrinking  back  appalled 
from  a  voyage  in  the  yacht,  without  chart  or  map,  in  a 
region  of  ocean  with  which  we  are  entirely  unacquainted. 
Such  also  was  the  opinion  of  our  unfortunate  com- 
panion." 

"You  are  right,  mother,"  said  Madeline  in  a  low 
voice.  "  We  are  in  a  horrible  strait ;  disaster  seems  to 
threaten  us  in  whichever  direction  we  turn ;  but  any- 
thing, rather  than  commit  ourselves  into  the  power  of 
the  dreadful  sea." 

"Ay,  land -lubbers  all,"  repeated  Winters  with  a 
shrug.  ' '  Heaven  help  us,  miss,  if  we  stay  here.  But 
you  shall  have  your  way  about  it ! " 

The  party  now  partook  of  some  breakfast,  which  Cato 
had  made  ready,  and  immediately  thereafter  prepared  to 
occupy  the  little  cottage,  which  had  already  been  twice 
visited  by  Winters  in  his  unavailing  search  for  the 
missing  man. 

" 'Tis  a  comfortable-enough  place,"  said  Madeline 
looking  about  her,  "a  pretty  cottage  and  doubtless 
occupied  by  worthy  folk ;  but  to  me  it  has  even  a  sadder 

67 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

look  than  the  empty  castle.  Where  are  the  busy  hands 
that  scoured  these  pewter  dishes  to  their  silvery  white- 
ness ?  where  the  little  downy  head  that  rested  on  the 
pillow  of  that  vacant  cradle  ?' ' 

"God  knows,  miss,"  said  the  old  man,  shaking  his 
head,  "  but  we  must  hope  for  the  best ;  they  may  all  be 
as  right  as  trivets  somewhar,  an'  as  happy  as  ever.  I'll 
jes'  set  this  'ere  cradle  out  of  sight,  and  tidy  up  the 
place  a  bit  afore  we  come  to  stay.  Some  of  them  fine 
sofys  and  chairs — ay,  an'  cups  an'  plates  from  the 
castle  won't  come  amiss,  an"  Cato  will  want  a  lot  of 
victuals. ' ' 

The  day  passed  quickly,  for  all  were  busy.  By  sun- 
set the  cottage  presented  a  very  snug  and  cosy  appear- 
ance ;  all  saddening  signs  of  its  former  occupancy  had 
been  removed,  and  much  of  the  humble  furniture  re- 
placed by  articles  more  suited  to  the  use  of  the  ladies. 

Many  times  during  the  day  Madeline  had  sought  the 
lofty  tower  of  the  chateau  and  had  swept  the  horizon 
with  the  glass,  in  vain  search  for  some  token  of  the  man 
who  had  so  mysteriously  disappeared  from  their  midst. 

"  He  will  return — he  will  surely  return,"  she  said  to 
her  mother — "  if  he  is  alive." 

"I  do  not  doubt  it,  my  child,"  replied  Madame  de 
Langres.  "  For  myself,  I  have  not  yet  given  up  hope 
that  he  may  still  be  on  the  island ;  not  many  hours 
have  passed  since  we  saw  him  last. ' ' 

"  True,  but  the  condition  of  Cato  ;  the  midnight  cry 
for  help  ;  the  telltale  ropes  hanging  from  his  window, 
and  also  this — ' '  and  she  lowered  her  voice  slightly. 
"  I  found  it  among  the  bushes  near  the  landing."  And 
she  held  up  to  view  a  bit  of  blue  cloth,  evidently  torn 
from  some  garment. 

68 


A  CRY  IN  THE  NIGHT 

Madame  de  Langres  examined  the  fragment.  "  It 
looks  to  me  like  the  material  of  which  clothing  worn  by 
officers  in  the  navy  is  made,"  she  said  at  length.  "  I 
have  not  forgotten,"  she  added  with  a  deep  sigh,  "  the 
days  when  I  used  to  pack  your  dear  brother's  sea-chest. 
Would  God,  we  knew  what  had  befallen  him." 

"We  must  not  think  of  the  past,  sweetest  mother," 
murmured  Madeline.  "It  only  serves  to  dishearten 
and  unnerve  us.  We  will — we  must — believe  that  God 
is  in  heaven,  and  that  somehow  all  things  will  turn  out 
well,  for  us — and  for  those  whom  we  love. ' ' 

"  You  are  a  living  ray  of  sunshine  in  this  dark  earth, 
my  child  !"  cried  her  mother  passionately.  "As  long 
as  I  have  you,  I  ought  not  to  despair. ' ' 


69 


CHAPTER  X 

KIDNAPPED 

UNABLE  to  move  or  cry  out,  yet  with  all  his  senses 
keenly  alert,  Baillot  felt  himself  raised  and  borne 
cautiously  forward,  the  feet  of  his  captors  making  no 
sound  on  the  thick  carpet. 

' '  Have  a  care,  now,  with  that  rope  ! ' '  came  a  hoarse 
whisper  in  English,  as  he  was  lowered  to  the  floor. 
"  'Tis  as  much  as  your  life  is  worth  to  hurt  a  hair  of  his 
head!" 

He  perceived  that  he  was  being  invested  with  a 
sort  of  harness  of  ropes  and  bands,  firmly  secured  about 
his  body ;  in  another  moment  he  was  again  lifted  and 
felt  himself  swiftly  descending  to  some  unknown  depth, 
swaying  and  swinging  dizzily  in  the  cool  air;  but 
whether  the  coolness  was  that  of  the  night  or  of  some 
subterranean  passage-way  he  was  unable  to  determine. 

Presently  he  was  seized  from  below,  and  the  bands 
and  ropes  hastily  cut  away  from  his  body,  his  hands 
and  feet  still  remaining  securely  tied.  A  moment's 
pause  followed,  then  a  whispered  word  which  he  did 
not  catch,  and  he  was  again  lifted  and  borne  noiselessly 
but  swiftly  onward.  A  chance  crackling  of  a  stick 
under  the  foot  of  one  of  his  bearers,  and  a  sprinkle  of 
dew  on  his  upturned  face  from  some  overhanging  spray, 
convinced  the  young  man  that  he  was  in  the  open  air. 
With  a  desperate  effort  he  succeeded  in  disengaging  one 
hand  from  its  fastenings ;  in  an  instant  he  had  torn  the 
gag  from  his  mouth,  and  shouted  with  all  his  strength . 

70 


KIDNAPPED 

"Winters!     Help!" 

A  heavy  hand  was  clapped  over  his  mouth  before  he 
could  follow  the  cry  with  a  second. 

' '  Faith,  but  he' s  strong  ! ' '  whispered  a  voice.  ' '  Give 
me  your  handkerchief;  another  such  shout,  and  they'll 
be  about  us  like  a  hornet's  nest.  Bind  up  that  hand 
there  ;  make  it  secure  this  time  !" 

Convinced  that  resistance  was  useless  for  the  present, 
the  young  man  made  no  further  effort  to  escape,  but 
instead  bent  all  his  faculties  to  the  task  of  discovering 
who  his  mysterious  abductors  were,  and  whither  he  was 
bemg  taken. 

"Set  him  there!"  said  the  same  low  voice,  "and 
slip  that  cushion  behind  his  head  !" 

In  another  moment  the  muffled  dip  of  oars  and  the 
liquid  ripple  of  water  informed  the  captive  that  he  was 
in  a  boat,  and  that  it  was  being  urged  swiftly  forward 
by  a  trained  and  powerful  crew. 

For  the  space  of  perhaps  a  quarter  of  an  hour  they 
pursued  their  onward  course,  the  regular  sound  of  the 
oars  in  the  rowlocks  and  the  heavy  breathing  of  the 
crew  alone  breaking  the  silence. 

"  If  I  could  but  loosen  these  bonds  about  my  feet," 
thought  Baillot,  "and  get  my  hands  free  from  these 
straps,  I  could  slip  overboard  and  swim  for  it. ' ' 

Cautiously  he  moved  and  twisted  about,  and  presently 
to  his  great  joy  he  again  succeeded  in  wrenching  one 
hand  from  its  fastenings,  then  slowly  and  stealthily  he 
reached  down  and  began  to  work  at  the  ropes  that  bound 
his  feet.  And  now  the  low  booming  of  the  surf  told 
him  that  they  had  reached  the  mouth  of  the  stream,  and 
were  about  to  enter  the  sea. 

"'Twas    neatly    done!"    exclaimed    a    low   voice. 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

' '  That  black  rascal  though  was  like  to  have  been  our 
undoing ;  and  when  he  cried  out  for  help  I  thought  we 
were  lost.  They  don't  look  for  midnight  visitors,  and 
no  wonder  ! ' ' 

"Silence,  sir!"  said  another  voice  sternly.  "You 
forget  yourself." 

Baillot  had  by  this  time  succeeded  in  unfastening  the 
last  knot  that  bound  him,  and  was  on  the  point  of 
springing  to  his  feet,  preparatory  to  a  plunge  overboard, 
when  to  his  dismay  he  perceived  through  the  bandage 
that  covered  his  eyes  the  gleam  of  a  lantern. 

There  was  the  sound  of  a  smothered  oath,  and '  he 
was  seized  by  a  pair  of  strong  arms. 

"  Help,  quick  !"  cried  an  alarmed  voice  close  to  his 
ear.  "He  is  loose,  and  I  cannot  hold  him  alone!" 
The  young  Huguenot  struggled  violently  with  his  cap- 
tor, but  half  a  dozen  strong  hands  had  clutched  him  by 
his  legs,  his  arms,  his  body.  He  was  forced  into  a  sit- 
ting posture  and  held  there. 

"I  beg,  monsieur,"  said  a  low  voice,  in  excellent 
French,  "  that  you  will  not  again  attempt  to  escape  us. 
You  are  in  no  danger ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  are  in  the 
hands  of  those  who  are  most  deeply  interested  in  your 
welfare !  You  will,  however,  pardon  us  if  we  make 
your  bonds  secure. ' ' 

Which  was  at  once  done,  and  this  time  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  captive  was  convinced  of  the  futility 
of  any  further  effort  to  free  himself.  He  was  somewhat 
reassured  on  his  own  account  by  the  words  which  had 
just  been  spoken,  but  what  of  the  others  ? 

By  the  sounds  that  came  to  his  ear,  he  was  convinced 
that  they  were  approaching  a  large  vessel.  He  could 
hear  the  rattle  of  chains,  the  shrill  whistle  of  the  boat- 

72 


KIDNAPPED 

swain,  and  the  sonorous  voice  of  the  commanding  of- 
ficer. A  quick  order  from  some  one  in  the  boat,  and 
the  oars  were  dropped  into  their  places  with  a  single 
click ;  another,  and  he  could  feel  that  they  were  being 
drawn  swiftly  upward.  In  a  moment  more  he  was  lifted 
gently  from  his  place,  the  bonds  which  secured  his  feet 
loosened,  and  he  was  marched  between  two  of  his  cap- 
tors across  the  deck  of  a  vessel.  He  counted  the  steps ; 
it  was  a  large  ship. 

' '  Now,  monsieur,  carefully ;  we  are  about  to  descend 
some  stairs,"  said  a  voice  which  he  recognized  as  being 
that  of  the  man  who  had  spoken  to  him  in  the  boat. 

His  hands  were  released,  the  gag  removed  from 
his  mouth  ;  he  heard  the  click  of  a  key  turning  in  the 
lock.  Raising  his  head  he  tore  the  bandages  from  his 
eyes  and  looked  about  him.  He  was  entirely  alone. 
The  bright  light  of  a  lamp  which  was  secured  to  the 
ceiling  revealed  the  interior  of  a  large  cabin,  comfort- 
ably and  even  luxuriously  furnished.  There  were  two 
doors,  both  of  which  were  closed.  He  sprang  forward 
and  tried  one  of  them,  the  thought  of  escape  still  upper- 
most in  his  mind  ;  it  was  fast. 

' '  I  must  get  away, ' '  he  groaned  aloud  ;  ' '  they  will 
think  that  I  have  deserted  them  !" 

The  other  door  yielded  to  his  touch  and  disclosed  a 
smaller  cabin  furnished  for  sleeping.  He  paused  for  a 
moment  and  listened  intently  to  the  sounds  above ; 
there  was  the  greatest  hurry  and  confusion  which  his 
trained  ear  could  not  mistake.  They  were  getting  under 
way. 

Hopeless  now  of  making  his  escape,  he  returned  to 
the  outer  cabin  and  sat  down  by  the  table,  his  mind  a 
turmoil  of  distracting  thoughts.  He  was  aroused  after 

73 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

some  moments  spent  in  unpleasant  revery  by  the  open- 
ing of  the  cabin  door.  He  sprang  to  his  feet  and  con- 
fronted the  man  who  had  entered. 

"  How  is  this,  monsieur?"  he  cried  sternly.  "  What 
is  the  meaning  of  this  proceeding  ?  By  what  right  do 
you  seize  me  in  this  way  ?  For  whom  do  you  take  me  ? 
There  is  some  grave  mistake  here  ! ' ' 

"  Monsieur  will  pardon  me,"  said  the  officer,  for  as 
Baillot  now  observed,  the  man  who  addressed  him  was 
clad  in  the  full  uniform  of  the  British  navy.  "  Mon- 
sieur will  pardon  me  if  I  excuse  myself  from  answering 
these,  or  any  other  questions  which  he  may  be  pleased 
to  ask.  I  am  forbidden  to  answer  questions,  but  am 
permitted  to  assure  monsieur  of  his  personal  safety,  and 
of  every  attention  which  he  may  require  while  aboard 
my  vessel.  Pray  consider  me  your  humble  servant  and 
use  me  in  every  way  for  your  convenience  save  the  one, 
which  I  have  just  specified.  These  cabins  are  yours 
and  ' ' — striking  as  he  spoke  a  small  gong — "  this  man  is 
at  your  command  as  body-servant.  He  cannot  speak, ' ' 
he  added  significantly,  "but  you  will  find  him  an  ex- 
cellent valet. ' ' 

As  he  spoke  there  entered  on  noiseless  foot  a  man 
with  a  face  as  silent  and  expressionless  as  a  statue  of 
bronze.  He  was  clad  gaudily  in  a  livery  of  scarlet 
velvet,  trimmed  with  gold  lace. 

* '  Zed,  you  will  attend  Monsieur  during  the  voyage  ! ' ' 
said  the  officer  addressing  him.  "  See  to  it  that  he 
lacks  nothing ;  report  to  me  for  further  orders. ' ' 

The  man  bowed  in  token  that  he  understood,  but  he 
did  not  speak. 

"And  now,  monsieur,"  resumed  the  officer,  turn- 
ing to  Baillot,  "permit  me  to  wish  you  a  very  good 

74 


KIDNAPPED 

night.  If  the  present  wind  holds,  our  voyage  will  soon 
be  at  an  end ;  in  the  meantime  I  beg  that  you  will  give 
yourself  no  uneasiness,  and  believe  me  when  I  assure 
you  that  all  is  well." 

He  bowed  profoundly  and  was  about  to  withdraw, 
when  the  Huguenot  sprang  forward. 

"There  is  some  terrible  mistake,  I  assure  you  !"  he 
cried.  "  It  cannot  be  that  you  wish  to  carry  me  off  in 
this  way.  Do  you  know  who  I  am  ?' ' 

"There  is  no  mistake,"  replied  the  officer  with  an 
air  of  decision,  "and  I  beg  once  more  to  assure  mon- 
sieur that  all  is  well !  further  than  that  I  cannot  go. 
Good-night." 

"But  my  companions  on  the  island!  Stop — I  as- 
sure you  that  you  have  made  a  terrible  mistake  ! ' '  But 
the  officer  was  gone. 

"  This  is  infamous  !"  muttered  the  young  man  under 
his  breath.  "  He  shall  answer  me  !"  and  with  that  he 
sprang  toward  the  door. 

The  black  gave  a  low  inarticulate  cry  and  made  a 
gesture  as  if  to  prevent  him. 

"Out  of  my  way,  fellow!"  said  Baillot  fiercely, 
throwing  open  the  door.  In  the  passage-way  were  two 
marines  standing  as  if  on  guard.  They  presented  arms 
with  an  air  of  profound  respect. 

"Where  is  the  commander  of  this  vessel?"  de- 
manded Baillot  in  French,  then  bethinking  himself  he 
repeated  the  question  in  English. 

"Yonder,  excellency,"  replied  one  of  the  men  jerk- 
ing his  thumb  over  his  shoulder,  but  without  removing 
his  eyes  from  the  handsome  angry  face  before  him. 
At  the  top  of  the  companion-way  he  was  confronted 
by  two  more  marines ;  these  dropped  their  pikes,  in 

75 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

token  that  further  progress  in  that   direction  was  cut 
off. 

"  Let  me  pass  !"  he  said  angrily. 

One  from  a  little  group  of  officers  standing  near  in- 
stantly came  forward.  He  bowed  low  as  his  eye  fell 
upon  Baillot. 

"  Ah  !  monsieur  desires  the  air  ?' '  he  said  courteously. 
"  Let  him  pass  at  once." 

"  I  desire  to  see  the  commander  of  this  vessel,"  said 
Baillot  haughtily. 

"  In  order  that  you  may — " 

' '  Demand  my  release,  sir. ' ' 

"That  is  impossible,  monsieur,"  said  the  young  offi- 
cer. "  Impossible,  and,  I  may  add,  little  to  be  desired 
by  monsieur.  Were  you  not  a  prisoner  on  yonder 
island  ?  Now  you  shall  shortly  be  free,  and — ' '  here  he 
checked  himself  suddenly. 

"  But  my  companions  who  are  left  behind?" 

"They  are  quite  safe,  and  their  removal  only  a  matter 
of  time.  There  will  be  no  further  reason  for  their 
presence  there,"  said  the  young  officer  in  a  soothing 
voice.  "And  now  let  me  beg  of  monsieur  to  descend 
to  the  cabin.  It  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to  explain 
further.  Monsieur  will  understand  me  when  I  say  that 
I  am  under  oath  to  say  no  more." 

"Allow  me,  sir,  to  explain  to  you  how — " 

But  the  officer  had  turned  away  with  a  low  bow. 
Baillot  stared  after  his  retreating  figure.  "  I  am  dream- 
ing doubtless,"  he  muttered  with  a  short  laugh;  then 
perceiving  that  the  marines  were  eyeing  him  with  undis- 
guised curiosity  and  amusement  he  slowly  descended  to 
the  cabin  he  had  just  quitted,  and  there  as  it  was  still  night 
he  lay  down  in  his  berth  and  was  shortly  sound  asleep. 

76 


KIDNAPPED 

The  officer  who  had  spoken  with  him  was  presently 
accosted  by  the  commander  of  the  vessel. 

"How  now,  St.  Clair !  Did  you  have  any  trouble 
with  our  passenger?" 

"  He  was  bent  upon  speaking  with  you,  my  lord,  in 
order  to  demand  his  release.  But  I  assured  him  of  the 
impossibility  of  the  thing,  and  finally  prevailed  upon 
him  to  retire  to  his  cabin." 

' '  Our  rude  English  tongues  doubtless  alarm  him  ! ' ' 
remarked  the  other  with  a  chuckle.  "  But  he  might 
be  in  worse  hands.  What  think  you  of  his  appear- 
ance?" 

"  I  am  bound  to  say,  my  lord,  that  I  was  surprised. 
He  is  apparently  much  younger  than — " 

"You  forget,  sir  !"  said  his  superior  sternly. 

"He  is  a  man  of  tremendous  physical  strength," 
continued  the  young  officer  with  some  confusion  ;  "  we 
had  great  ado  to  hold  him  in  the  boat. ' ' 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?" 

"  Did  not  Marston  tell  you  how  he  worked  himself 
loose  just  before  we  made  the  ship  ?  He  would  have 
been  overboard  in  another  moment. ' ' 

' '  Gad,  sir,  but  that  would  have  been  an  awkward 
thing  for  us,"  remarked  the  other  shrugging  his  shoul- 
ders. "We  shall  do  well  to  keep  a  sharp  eye  on  him 
during  the  rest  of  the  voyage.  Ay  !  and  a  close  tongue 
in  our  mouths ! "  he  added  with  a  stern  glance  at  his 
companion.  "  Did  he  question  you  at  all  ?" 

"  He  seemed  much  concerned  about  his  companions 
who  were  left  behind,"  replied  the  young  man.  "I 
made  bold  to  assure  him  that  they  would  be  at  once  re- 
moved from  the  island." 

"I'll  warrant  me  that  they  will  be  removed  !  You 
77 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

were  not  far  out  of  the  way  there.  His  concern  for 
them  does  him  credit.  If  the  wind  holds  we  shall  soon 
be  quit  of  him, — and  a  good  riddance  ;  this  kidnapping 
business  is  not  to  my  liking." 

"Nor  mine." 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  older  man  after  a  short  silence, 
"I  shall  go  below  for  a  few  hours.  Remain  on  deck 
till  I  return,  and  stay — ' '  he  added  with  a  significant 
gesture,  "  keep  him  where  he  is  !" 


CHAPTER  XI 

H.    M.    S.    CONQUEROR 

WHEN  the  young  Huguenot  awoke  it  was  to  find 
the  sunlight  streaming  cheerfully  through  the  skylight 
of  his  cabin.  He  looked  about  him  for  a  moment  at 
the  milk-white  walls  and  crimson  curtains  of  his  prison 
with  that  dazed  wonderment  which  often  hangs  about 
the  recent  traveller  in  the  land  of  dreams ;  then  his  eye 
fell  on  the  black  servant  standing  by  his  bedside  in  a 
deferential  attitude.  He  bore  in  his  hand  a  small  silver 
tray  containing  a  delicate  cup  of  Sevres  china  and  a 
silver  pot ;  this  he  offered  to  the  young  man  with  a  low 
bow. 

"  Chocolate?"  inquired  Baillot ;  "  but  I  am  neither 
a  woman  nor  a  sick  man,  my  good  fellow.  Take  it 
away  and  fetch  my  clothes — for  I  see  that  they  have 
disappeared. ' ' 

The  negro  instantly  obeyed,  and  Baillot  stared  at  him 
in  puzzled  silence,  as  with  perfunctory  deftness  he  laid 
out  a  grand  array  of  costly  toilet  articles  together  with 
a  complete  suit  of  apparel  of  gorgeous  material  and 
fashionable  cut.  He  roused  himself  as  the  valet  ap- 
proached him  with  towels  and  a  silver  basin  containing 
water  which  he  had  previously  dashed  with  eau  de 
Cologne. 

"You  may  leave  me  now,  fellow,  Zed — Zip — what- 
ever your  name  is  !  I  will  dress  myself.  But  first  re- 

79 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

move  that  pink  satin  waistcoat  and  the  velvet  coat,  and 
bring  me  something  plainer  and  more  ship-shape." 

The  negro  again  made  obeisance,  and  immediately 
replaced  the  articles  in  question  with  others  of  black 
satin  overlaid  with  silver  lace. 

Baillot  eyed  them  with  a  scowl.  "  I  shall  have  to 
appear  like  a  popinjay  from  the  court  before  these  offi- 
cers," he  thought  to  himself;  "  that  comes  of  appro- 
priating the  finery  at  the  chateau."  With  the  word 
came  a  sudden  illumination.  "They  mistake  me  for 
the  former  occupant  of  the  castle  ! ' '  He  sprang  up 
with  a  smothered  exclamation,  pushing  the  proffered 
basin  to  one  side  so  roughly  that  the  perfumed  water 
was  spilled  upon  the  floor.  Then  seeing  the  alarmed 
and  puzzled  look  upon  the  face  of  the  negro,  he  laughed 
outright. 

"  I  am  in  the  habit  of  waiting  upon  myself  at  my 
toilet,  my  good  fellow ;  I  shall  do  so  now,  and  do  you 
inform  the  commander  of  this  vessel  that  I  wish  to  speak 
with  him  as  soon  as  convenient." 

The  man  at  once  left  the  cabin,  and  Baillot,  left  to 
himself,  made  rapid  work  with  his  dressing. 

"Ay,  thou  art  a  pretty -enough  coxcomb,  in  thy 
lace  raffles  and  satin  coat !"  he  exclaimed  with  a  grim 
laugh,  as  he  faced  his  reflection  in  the  glass.  "Erst- 
while officer,  convict,  refugee,  sailor,  castaway,  what 
for  the  moment  are  you  ?' ' 

But  he  was  none  the  less  accurate  in  all  the  details  of 
his  toilet,  leaving  his  cabin  a  few  moments  later  a  com- 
plete picture  of  the  gentleman  of  the  period,  his  keen 
dark  face,  with  its  slightly  aquiline  nose,  brown  eyes 
and  well-cut  lips,  shaded  by  dark  locks  of  hair  which 
he  wore  unpowdered. 

80 


H.  M.  S.  CONQUEROR 

Upon  entering  the  outer  cabin  he  found  a  sumptuous 
breakfast  awaiting  him,  which  he  proceeded  at  once  to 
discuss  with  an  excellent  appetite,  Zed  attending  him 
with  great  ceremony.  When  he  had  finished  he  be- 
thought himself  of  his  resolution  to  attempt  another  in- 
terview with  the  captain. 

' '  Did  you  tell  the  commander  that  I  wished  to  see 
him  ?' '  he  inquired. 

The  man  bowed. 

"What  did  he  say? — Confound  it,  you  can't  speak, 
but  why,  since  you  hear  perfectly  ?' ' 

The  man  uttered  one  of  the  strange  inarticulate 
sounds,  which  Baillot  had  before  noticed,  then  with  an 
apologetic  grin  opened  his  mouth.  He  was  tongue- 
less. 

"  Diable  /  What  a  shame  in  this  age  of  the  world  ! 
— But  the  captain  ?' ' 

By  way  of  reply  the  negro  produced  a  letter  which 
he  handed  to  the  young  man  with  his  accustomed  obei- 
sance. 

"  Monsieur  will  pardon  me  if  I  find  it  impossible  to 
accede  to  his  request  for  an  interview,"  he  read.  "  We 
have  just  sighted  a  ship  of  the  enemy,  and  my  presence 
is  imperatively  required  upon  deck.  Monsieur  need 
give  himself  no  uneasiness  but  had  best  remain  below 
during  the  day. — TORRINGTON." 

"Peste  !  does  he  think  that  with  a  fight  in  prospect  I 
shall  remain  below  stairs  like  a  sea -sick  woman  ?  I  shall 
go  on  deck  at  once  !"  But  he  found  the  marines  still 
on  guard  before  the  outer  door,  evidently  under  orders 
to  keep  him  below  decks.  The  hot  color  flew  to  the 
young  man's  face  and  he  was  on  the  point  of  bursting 
into  an  angry  protest,  but  he  bethought  himself  of  his 
6  81 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

perfect  helplessness,  and  turning  on  his  heel  without  a 
word,  strode  back  into  the  cabin. 

"  What  then  shall  monsieur  do  with  himself  to-day  ?' ' 
he  exclaimed  aloud  with  a  short  laugh.  "  Monsieur 
may  look  at  his  pretty  new  clothes  and  play  with  his 
fingers.  May  the  enemy  make  it  so  hot  for  them  that 
they  will  find  themselves  unable  to  spare  four  good  men 
to  guard  monsieur,  then  we  shall  see  ! ' ' 

In  his  anger  he  had  forgotten  the  presence  of  the 
man  who  could  hear  though  he  could  not  speak  ;  but  as 
he  turned  in  his  rapid  stride  up  and  down  the  narrow 
confines  of  the  cabin  his  eye  fell  upon  the  negro.  The 
man  stood  staring  at  him  with  such  an  expression  of 
anxious  alarm  upon  his  sable  countenance,  that  the 
young  Huguenot  stopped  short. 

"You  think  that  I  am  a  madman,  fellow?  Well 
I  promise  you  that  you  shall  not  suffer  at  my  hands 
unless — "  and  he  scowled  fiercely,  "you  presume 
upon  your  position  and  attempt  to  make  yourself  my 
jailor ;  in  that  case  I  shall  make  nothing  of  tying  a 
double  bow  knot  in  your  black  neck.  Now  fetch  me 
some  books — or  stay,  fetch  me  a  sea  map  and  some 
charts." 

"  I  will  see  if  I  can  place  our  mysterious  island,"  he 
thought  to  himself.  But  the  negro  presently  returned 
with  one  or  two  volumes  which,  with  many  apologetic 
duckings  of  his  woolly  head,  he  deposited  upon  the 
table. 

"  How  now  ;  am  I  not  permitted  to  have  a  chart  or 
map?" 

The  negro  rolled  up  his  eyes  in  evident  fright,  but 
he  shook  his  head  emphatically. 

' '  Hum !  Monsieur  is  requested  to  employ  his 
82 


H.  M.  S.  CONQUEROR 

mind  with  a  romance;  'tis  a  fitting  employment  for 
a  man  who  wears  a  satin  coat  on  blue  water.  What 
is  here — Corneille — Racine?  I  shall  perhaps  be  able 
to  while  away  an  hour  in  your  company. ' '  And  fling- 
ing himself  upon  a  chair  he  opened  one  of  the  vol- 
umes. 

The  better  part  of  an  hour  had  passed  away,  when 
some  unusual  sounds  on  deck  attracted  the  reader's  at- 
tention. "That  sounds  like  action,"  he  murmured, 
casting  aside  his  book  ;  ' '  they  are  about  to  engage  or  I 
am  very  much  mistaken." 

A  glance  at  the  open  door  revealed  the  marines  still 
standing  motionless,  with  no  sign  of  interest  or  excite- 
ment on  their  stolid  red  faces. 

"Sacre  bleu! — but  these  Englishmen,"  muttered  the 
captive  with  a  shrug,  "they  are  made  of  wood  !" 

While  the  Huguenot  arrayed  in  his  costly  satin  and 
ruffles  sat  staring  morosely  at  the  imperturbable  ma- 
rines, on  deck  all  was  bustle  and  excitement.  The 
enemy's  ship  had  been  sighted  about  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  It  was  at  first  deemed  advisable  to 
keep  out  of  her  way,  and  thus  avoid  an  engagement, 
but  it  soon  became  evident  that  this  would  be  impossi- 
ble, for  the  English  vessel,  though  a  first-class  ship 
heavily  armed,  was  not  equal  to  a  chase  with  the  fleet- 
winged  stranger. 

' '  Our  consort  should  have  met  us  hereabouts, ' '  said 
Torrington  to  St.  Clair  as  he  uneasily  paced  the  quarter- 
deck. "What  can  have  become  of  her?  A  stiff  brush 
with  the  enemy  might  prove  embarrassing  with  our 
present  passenger  aboard. ' ' 

"I'll  warrant  me  that  the  smell  of  gunpowder  will  be 
new  to  the  gentleman,"  replied  St.  Clair  flippantly; 

83 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"but  to  my  mind  it  is  more  wholesome  than  the  odor 
of  sanctity,  to  which  no  doubt  he  has  been  accustomed 
heretofore. ' ' 

"You  are  an  irreligious  dog,  St.  Clair  !"  growled  his 
superior  with  a  chuckle.  ' '  See  to  it  that  our  friend 
does  not  escape  his  quarters ;  if  it  becomes  necessary  to 
remove  the  men  on  guard  bid  the  negro  lock  him  in  se- 
curely. He'll  stay  there  willingly  enough  when  the 
cannonading  begins. ' ' 

"Perhaps,"  replied  the  young  man,  lifting  his  eye- 
brows. 

' '  Make  him  secure  in  any  event.  And  now  set 
every  man  to  his  post ;  we  shall  be  within  range  inside 
of  twenty  minutes.  A  couple  of  broadsides  from  The 
Conqueror  may  cool  them  off  a  bit. ' ' 

The  enemy,  flying  the  French  flag,  had  now  ap- 
proached within  hailing  distance,  and  presented,  with 
her  towering  mass  of  snowy  canvas,  her  massive  hull 
bristling  with  cannon,  and  her  yards  alive  with  seamen, 
a  most  imposing  sight. 

"  What  ship  is  that?"  roared  Torrington  through  his 
speaking-trumpet. 

"Come  a  little  nearer,"  was  the  derisive  answer, 
"  and  see  for  yourselves  !" 

"Ay,  that  we  will,  the  impudent  rascals!"  cried 
Torrington  throwing  down  his  trumpet,  while  a  dark 
flush  of  wrath  rose  to  his  cheek.  "  Run  her  athwart 
the  enemy's  bow  and  give  her  a  broadside  !" 

Slowly  The  Conqueror  swung  about  to  her  helm,  but 
the  enemy  perceiving  the  design  of  the  Englishman 
turned  also,  and  at  the  moment  The  Conqueror  pre- 
sented her  bow,  poured  into  it  a  deadly  blast  of  eighteen- 
pound  shot. 

84 


H.  M.  S.  CONQUEROR 

That  it  had  taken  effect  was  immediately  evident,  and 
Torrington  shouted  angrily,  "  Close  with  the  enemy  ! 
No  quarter  ! ' ' 

The  two  ships  had  now  approached  so  near  that  the 
faces  of  the  crew  on  the  French  ship  were  distinctly 
visible,  and  their  bearded  grinning  countenances  seemed 
to  fill  the  Englishmen  with  a  kind  of  dull  rage. 

"Give  them  something  to  laugh  at!"  was  the  cry, 
and  a  sheet  of  flame  burst  forth  from  the  dark  side  of 
The  Conqueror. 

1 1  Ah,  that  was  good — look  at  the  rascals  now  !  Give 
them  another !" 

But  the  enemy  was  not  idle ;  from  her  yards  skilful 
marksmen  kept  up  a  deadly  fire,  while  her  guns  roared 
incessantly.  A  dense  cloud  of  smoke  enveloped  the 
vessels,  through  which  the  glare  of  the  bellowing  can- 
non, the  forms  of  the  combatants,  and  the  tattered  can- 
vas overhead,  could  be  seen  dimly,  like  the  imaginings 
of  an  awful  dream.  The  ships  had  drifted  so  close  that 
the  rigging  had  become  entangled — a  signal  advantage 
to  the  English  vessel,  which,  owing  to  her  heavy  con- 
struction was  slower  in  answering  her  helm. 

' '  Put  some  of  our  people  over  her  sides  ! ' '  roared 
Torrington.  But  the  boarding-party,  headed  by  St. 
Clair,  was  repulsed  and  driven  back  with  heavy  loss. 
Things  now  began  to  look  serious  for  the  English, 
their  decks  were  piled  with  the  dead  and  wounded, 
and  a  number  of  their  best  guns  silenced ;  the  ship, 
moreover,  was  leaking  badly  and  on  fire  in  several 
places. 

"The  day  is  going  against  us,"  groaned  Torring- 
ton between  his  shut  teeth.  "  But  I'll  not  be  taken 
alive!" 

85 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Just  at  this  critical  juncture  he  saw,  to  his  astonish- 
ment, that  a  small  party  from  his  own  vessel  had  suc- 
ceeded in  boarding  the  Frenchman,  and  that  a  deadly 
conflict  was  going  on.  Seizing  a  pike  he  pushed  for- 
ward with  an  encouraging  shout.  Ten  minutes  of  sharp 
fighting  followed,  a  hand-to-hand  struggle  with  cutlass 
and  pike,  at  the  end  of  which  the  Frenchmen  were  evi- 
dently worsted,  for  they  raised  a  loud  cry  for  quarter ; 
at  the  same  moment  a  triumphant  shout  burst  from  the 
English  crew. 

« '  They  strike  !     They  strike  ! ' ' 

The  battle  had  lasted  but  little  more  than  an  hour, 
but  the  havoc  which  that  hour  had  wrought  was  in- 
describable. The  crew  of  The  Conqueror  now  ad- 
dressed themselves  with  vigor  to  the  task  of  extin- 
guishing the  flames,  which  threatened  to  destroy  both 
vessels.  This  being  accomplished  and  the  prisoners 
made  secure,  Torrington,  who  had  by  some  miracle 
escaped  without  a  scratch,  bethought  him  of  his  pas- 
senger. 

Approaching  St.  Clair,  who  was  having  a  wound  in 
his  arm  looked  after  by  the  ship's  surgeon,  he  said  in 
a  low  voice,  "What  of  our  friend  below  stairs,  is  he 
safe?" 

"I  cannot  tell  you,  sir,"  replied  the  young  man, 
"we  were  obliged  to  remove  the  marines  on  guard 
early  in  the  engagement,  so  many  of  our  gunners  were 
killed.  I  gave  the  negro  orders  to  lock  him  in.  He 
is  probably  in  his  cabin  stiff  with  fright.  I  will  go 
below,"  he  added,  "as  soon  as  this  nasty  cut  in  my 
arm  is  attended  to.  But  can  you  tell  me,  my  lord,  who 
led  that  last  boarding-party  ?' ' 

Torrington  stared  at  the  young  man  in  surprise. 
86 


H.  M.  S.  CONQUEROR 

"Did  you  not  lead  it  yourself,  sir?  I  was  about  to 
congratulate  you  for  the  service  ;  it  was  that,  and  that 
alone  which  saved  the  day. ' ' 

"  'Twas  not  I,  my  lord  ;  I  was  on  the  point  of  ask- 
ing you  whether  we  ought  not  to  strike,  when  I  heard 
a  great  shout  and  caught  a  glimpse  through  the  smoke 
of  a  party  rushing  by,  led  by  some  one  whose  face  I 
could  not  see." 

"'TwasEuston  then  !" 

' '  Euston  was  wounded  when  we  tried  to  board  her 
the  first  time,"  replied  the  young  man  quietly.  "I 
saw  him  fall." 

Torrington  turned  on  his  heel  with  a  smothered  ex- 
clamation ;  some  one  was  pulling  at  his  coat  from 
behind. 

"Well,  you  rascal,  what  now?" 

The  negro  was  kneeling  upon  the  slippery  deck, 
his  hands  clasped,  and  a  most  piteous  expression  of  ap- 
pealing agony  on  his  ashen  face. 

"Are  you  hurt,  fellow?  No — well  then,  what  does 
this  mean  ?  Where  is  your  charge  ?' ' 

"Something  has  happened  to  him,  my  lord,"  inter- 
posed St.  Clair  hastily.  "  I  will  look  to  it  at  once." 
And  wrenching  himself  out  of  the  hands  of  the  surgeon, 
he  crossed  the  deck  and  disappeared  down  the  com- 
panion-way. 

One  of  the  younger  officers  now  approached  the  com- 
mander, he  saluted  respectfully,  then  said  in  a  some- 
what hesitating  way  : 

"  A  sailor  who  has  been  severely  wounded  has  just  told 
me  an  extraordinary  thing.  He  insists  upon  it  that  the 
boarding -party  was  led  by  the  person  whom  we  took  on 
board  last  night. ' ' 

»7 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"What?"  exclaimed  Torrington.  "The  fellow  is 
mad  !  But  here  is  St.  Clair. ' ' 

The  young  man  came  quickly  forward  looking  pale 
and  anxious.  "The — ah — gentleman  is  not  in  his 
cabin,  my  lord,"  he  said. 


88 


CHAPTER  XII 

A    HUGUENOT 

"WHERE  is  he  then?"  demanded  Torrington  with 
an  oath.  "For  once  in  my  life  I  wish  you  could 
speak  ! "  he  continued,  fixing  his  eyes  gloomily  on  the 
negro,  who  still  sprawled  at  his  feet.  "Get  up,  and 
help  look  for  the  Frenchman ! — the  devil  take  all 
Frenchmen  dead  or  alive  !" 

"But,  my  lord,"  interposed  the  young  officer,  "if 
the  sailor  yonder  spoke  the  truth,  we  owe  our  victory  to 
this  same  Frenchman  !" 

"  Gad,  sir,  do  you  believe  such  idle  ravings?  Would 
he  fight  his  own  countrymen,  man  ?' ' 

"  We  must  at  all  events  ascertain  what  has  become  of 
him,"  put  in  St.  Clair.  "  'Twill  be  an  unlucky  cruise 
for  us  all  should  we  fail  to  do  so. ' ' 

"Unlucky  enough!"  growled  Torrington,  turning 
on  his  heel.  "  Get  you  about  the  quest ;  look  carefully 
among  the  dead  and  wounded. ' ' 

A  systematic  search  of  both  vessels  was  at  once  insti- 
tuted, and  before  many  minutes  a  cry  from  one  of  the 
sailors  called  Torrington  to  the  spot.  On  board  the 
enemy's  ship,  which  was  still  lashed  to  the  side  of  The 
Conqueror,  amid  a  heap  of  the  slain,  marking  the  spot 
where  the  fiercest  fight  of  the  day  had  taken  place,  the 
marines  had  uncovered  the  body  of  the  man. 

St.  Clair  and  Torrington  reached  the  spot  at  the  same 
instant.  They  looked  at  one  another  without  a  word. 

89 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Bring  him  out  here,"  commanded  Torrington; 
"call  the  ship's  surgeon." 

St.  Clair  was  already  tearing  aside  the  lace  ruffles  at 
the  breast  of  the  unconscious  Baillot  that  he  might  listen 
for  a  possible  heart -beat.  "  He  still  lives,  my  lord  !" 
he  said  briefly. 

At  this  moment  the  ship's  surgeon,  a  short  stout  man 
with  a  bustling  and  authoritative  manner,  arrived  upon 
the  scene. 

"Out  of  my  way,  gentlemen,"  he  said  with  an  im- 
perative wave  of  the  hand.  "  You  impede  my  vision." 

All  obeyed  save  St.  Clair,  who  still  supported  the 
unconscious  man's  head,  and  Torrington,  who  stood  at 
his  feet  like  a  grim  statue. 

"What  do  you  make,  sir?"  he  asked  gruffly,  as  the 
surgeon  paused  for  a  moment  in  his  cautious  proddings 
and  manipulations. 

"I  find  no  serious  hurt,  m'  lord,  so  far,"  replied 
that  functionary  cautiously.  "We  had  best  remove 
him  below  where  he  can  be  stripped ;  I  shall  then 
shortly  be  able  to  ascertain  the  full  extent  of  his  in- 
juries. ' ' 

"Give  him  some  brandy,"  commanded  Torrington. 
"I'm  no  leech,  but  damme,  that'll  fetch  him  up,  if 
anything  will !" 

"  I  was  about  to  administer  a  restorative,  m"  lord," 
replied  the  surgeon  with  dignity. 

This  he  at  once  proceeded  to  do,  and  with  such 
good  effect  that  the  young  man's  eyes  opened,  and  to 
the  great  surprise  of  all  he  presently  sat  up  and  looked 
about  him. 

"  Is  the  day  ours?"  he  asked  eagerly. 

"What  does  he  say?"  inquired  the  surgeon,  with 
90 


A  HUGUENOT 

another  meditative  prod;  "I  do  not  understand  the 
French  language  myself ;  it  is  not  necessary  to  my  pro- 
fession." 

Baillot  turned  upon  him  a  look  of  perfect  intelli- 
gence, then  glanced  at  the  anxious  faces  about  him. 

"  I  see  that  we  did  beat  them,"  he  said  slowly,  this 
time  in  English.  "  My  faith,  but  it  was  a  close  brush  ! 
I  caught  the  fellows  just  as  they  were  about  to  board  us, 
a  hundred  strong. ' ' 

"  Where  are  you  hurt,  sir?"  questioned  the  surgeon, 
thrusting  his  round  anxious  face  into  the  young  man's 
range  of  vision.  "I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  lo- 
cate the  injury."  And  he  again  made  as  though  he 
would  continue  his  investigations  with  a  cautious  fore- 
finger. 

"Sheer  off,  man!"  said  Baillot,  waving  him  off. 
"I  escaped  the  onslaught  of  the  enemy  by  rare  good 
fortune,  but  I  can  bear  no  more  of  your  mauling. 
Somebody  fetched  me  a  blow  on  the  head  with  the  butt 
of  a  pistol  that  knocked  me  senseless  for  a  moment ; 
other  than  that  I  haven't  a  scratch." 

"Thank  God!"  ejaculated  Torrington  fervently; 
"  'twould  have  been  a  sorry  day  for  us,  had  you  been 
as  dead  as  you  looked  when  we  found  you  ! ' ' 

Baillot  eyes  him  curiously.  "  That  is  a  question  that 
I  wish  to  discuss  with  you,  sir.  I  think  that  I  can 
shortly  convince  you  that  my  death  would  make  very 
little  difference  in  your  fortunes. ' ' 

"Let  me  assist  monsieur  to  his  cabin,"  said  St. 
Clair,  coming  forward.  "In  the  meantime  we  all 
realize  that  we  owe  our  freedom — perchance  our  lives, 
to  his  valor. ' ' 

"  True  !"  growled  Torrington,  as  Baillot  slowly  rose 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

to  his  feet.  "  But  how  does  it  happen  that  you  were 
willing  to  fight  your  own  countrymen  ?' ' 

A  mingled  expression  of  bitter  sorrow  and  hatred 
swept  like  a  tempest  across  the  young  man's  expressive 
face.  He  glanced  at  the  shattered  vessel,  the  heaps  of 
dead  and  wounded  about  him,  then  he  turned  and  faced 
his  questioner. 

"  Sir,  I  am  a  Huguenot !" 

A  low  murmur  of  amazement  ran  about  the  little 
circle  of  listeners.  Torrington  was  the  first  to  recover 
himself.  "Take  him  below!"  he  said,  with  a  fierce 
scowl  at  the  curious  faces  of  the  sailors ;  ' '  the  blow  on 
his  skull  is  more  serious  than  we  feared.  Look  carefully 
to  it,  doctor.  Go  below  with  him,  St.  Clair ;  your 
own  hurt  needs  nursing." 

Half  an  hour  later  as  the  English  commander  stood 
on  the  deck  of  his  own  vessel,  which  was  already  re- 
duced to  a  state  of  wonderful  order  by  the  small  body 
of  uninjured  marines,  St.  Clair  approached  him. 

' '  How  many  have  we  lost,  my  lord  ?' ' 

' '  Forty  killed,  and  as  many  wounded. ' ' 

"'Twas  a  bloody  battle.  How  fared  the  French- 
man?" 

"  Seventy  killed,  and  the  rest  prisoners.  I  have 
placed  Fortescue  in  command  of  the  French  ship  with 
enough  of  ours  to  man  her,  and  divided  the  prisoners. 
I  wanted  you  here,"  he  added,  observing  the  quick 
flush  of  annoyance  which  rose  to  the  face  of  the  man  at 
his  side ;  ' '  besides  you  are  wounded. ' ' 

" My  wound  is  nothing,"  said  St.  Clair  hastily, — "a 
mere  scratch.  But  what  think  you  of  our  prisoner's, 
perhaps  I  should  say  our — " 

*'  Call  him  what  you  like,  sir  !"  interrupted  Torring- 
92 


A  HUGUENOT 

ton  impatiently.  "  What  do  I  think  of  his  declaration  ? 
I  have  had  a  dozen  minds  about  it.  I  begin  to  think 
that  we  have  made  some  atrocious  blunder. ' ' 

"That  can  hardly  be,  my  lord,"  observed  his  com- 
panion thoughtfully.  "We  found  everything  exactly 
as  was  told  us ;  the  postern  unguarded — as  was  previ- 
ously agreed  upon,  the  door  opening  to  our  key,  the 
black  man  on  guard,  everything —  No  there  can  be  no 
mistake  on  our  part. ' ' 

"  If  he  is  by  some  miracle  a  Huguenot !"  exclaimed 
Torrington. — "  But  hold,  we  are  gossiping  like  a  couple 
of  women.  His  religion  concerns  us  not  a  whit.  What 
confounds  me  is  his  fighting  ;  why  man,  he  fought  like 
a  soldier  ! ' ' 

"  All  the  better,  my  lord,  but  a  miracle  of  itself,  for 
how—" 

' '  Tut,  the  how  of  it  is  nothing  to  us.  Yet  we  must 
recognize  his  services — if  by  chance  he  be  not  crazed 
by  his  hurt.  Let  him  up  on  deck  freely  for  the  rest  of 
the  voyage,  but  look  to  it  that  he  gets  speech  with  none 
of  the  others." 

Meanwhile  the  young  Huguenot  in  his  cabin  was 
passing  a  mauvais  quartre  d1  heure  with  the  surgeon. 

"I  must  insist,  your  excellency,"  the  little  man  was 
saying,  "upon  making  a  very  thorough  examination. 
From  the  nature  of  your  remarks  we  apprehend  perhaps 
an  injury  to  the  corinal  suture  of  the  cranium,  which 
might  necessitate  a  very  interesting  operation — very 
interesting  !  I  am  sure,  your  highness,  I  should  be  most 
delighted  to  perform  such  an  operation  upon  you,  and 
should  it  chance  to  be  successful — ' ' 

"  But  I  tell  you  I  am  not  hurt,  go  and  look  to  those 
who  are  ;  there  are  enough  of  them,  poor  fellows. ' ' 

93 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  The  cases  you  refer  to  are  in  che  hands  of  my  assist- 
ant, your  grace,"  replied  the  little  man  with  airy 
dignity.  "And  also  I  may  say  that  I  believe  the  sur- 
geon of  the  French  vessel  is  at  work  among  them.  You 
need  give  yourself  no  anxiety  concerning  them — though 
I  am  sure  it  does  you  great  credit.  But  as  I  was  saying 
an  injury  to  the  stephanion  sometimes  occasions — ' ' 

"  There  is  no  injury,  I  tell  you  !  save  a  bruise  ;  give 
me  a  lotion  for  that,  if  you  must  do  something,  then 
leave  me. ' ' 

"A  lotion,  my  lord,  would  not  be  amiss,  and  I  will 
presently  apply  it  after  I  have  satisfied  myself  that  the 
ophryon  is  quite  uninjured.  Now  in  regard  to  internal 
injuries,  in  the  region  of  the  xiphoid  appendage  when  I 
examine  it  in  this  manner  do  you  feel  any  pain  ?' ' 

"By  the  powers,  man!  Such  prodding  would  be 
apt  to  produce  a  feeling  of  some  sort !  Once  more  I 
tell  you  that  I  am  not  hurt.  Come,  I  shall  fare  very 
well  with  Zed  here  to  attend  me. ' ' 

The  surgeon  rolled  his  round  eyes  in  the  direction  of 
the  negro,  who  was  standing  near. 

"Ah!"  he  cried,  "  what  have  we  here?  A  cranial 
wound  of  some  seriousness  I  believe. ' ' 

Baillot  looked  up  hastily.  "  You  are  hurt !"  he  ex- 
claimed, noting  the  ashen  pallor  of  the  man's  face,  and 
the  thin  dark  stream  of  blood  which  trickled  down 
his  dusky  cheek.  "Why  did  you  not  say  so?  But  I 
forget,  you  cannot  speak.  I  left  you  tied  up  securely 
enough,  as  I  supposed.  Did  you  get  loose  and  follow 
me?" 

The  negro  gasped  slightly  once  or  twice,  then  fell 
heavily  to  the  floor. 

"There's  a  case  for  you,  doctor.  Do  your  best  for 
94 


A  HUGUENOT 

him,  poor  fellow ;  he  has  already  suffered  enough  for 
one  man." 

"As  I  thought,"  remarked  the  surgeon  with  an  air 
of  satisfaction,  after  a  superficial  examination  of  the 
wound.  "A  most  interesting  case — most  interesting. 
I  shall  be  able,  I  trust,  to  demonstrate  successfully  my 
theory  of — ' ' 

"Don't  do  it  here!"  interposed  Baillot  hastily. 
' '  Have  him  removed  to  his  own  quarters  ;  let  me  know 
later  if  I  can  be  of  any  service  to  him.  I  verily  believe 
that  the  poor  fool  was  trying  to  follow  me  into  the  ac- 
tion. Not  so  much  of  a  fool  after  all,"  he  added 
thoughtfully,  "for  he  was  trying  to  do  his  duty,  while 
I — ' '  and  he  broke  off  with  a  smothered  groan. 

A  couple  of  marines  now  entered  and  removed  the 
negro,  the  surgeon  bustling  along  in  their  wake  with  his 
instruments  and  bandages.  Baillot  seeing  that  he  was 
alone  quietly  opened  the  door  of  his  cabin,  and  in 
another  moment  had  reached  the  deck  unobserved. 
Advancing  to  the  rail  he  looked  about  him  with  a 
deep  breath  of  pleasure  ;  to  be  free  even  for  a  moment 
from  the  galling  espionage  to  which  he  had  been  sub- 
jected was  a  wonderful  relief.  He  presently  drew  back 
into  the  shadow  of  a  drooping  bit  of  canvas,  hoping  to 
avoid  recognition,  but  here  he  was  soon  spied  out  by 
the  keen  eye  of  St.  Clair.  The  young  Englishman  came 
forward  with  a  frank  smile  of  greeting  on  his  handsome 
face. 

"  Then  you  are  not  seriously  wounded  as  we  at  first 
feared,"  he  exclaimed,  genuine  pleasure  evident  in  his 
voice. 

"Not  a  scratch,  sir,"  replied  Baillot.  "In  the  en- 
counter with  your  excellent  surgeon  below  stairs  I  might 

95 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

not  have  fared  so  well,  had  not  his  professional  atten- 
tion been  fortunately  diverted.  I  say  fortunately,"  he 
added  in  response  to  an  inquiring  look  from  the  officer, 
"but  I  fear  that  it  will  hardly  prove  fortunate  for 
yonder  poor  fellow  ;  the  negro — my  attendant  or  jailor, 
whichever  you  like  best  to  call  him — was  severely 
wounded  in  the  fight." 

"  I  beg,  monsieur,"  began  St.  Clair  with  evident 
embarrassment,  "that  you  will  not  consider  yourself 
other  than  an  honored  guest  on  board  The  Conqueror. ' ' 

1 '  I  have  yet  to  learn  that  honored  guests  are  removed 
by  force  from  their  bedchambers  in  the  dead  of  night, 
and  that  they  are  placed  in  charge  of  servants  who  have 
full  liberty  to  incarcerate  them,"  observed  Baillot  with 
a  shrug.  "Besides — " 

"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  explain  to  you  why  we 
must  do  these  things,"  interrupted  St.  Clair  eagerly. 
"  But  the  fact  remains,  you  are  our  honored  guest, 
trebly  honored  since  you  are  also  our  preserver.  Be- 
lieve me  that  these  unavoidable  mysteries  will  soon  be 
at  an  end,  and  that  you  will  fully  understand  our  un- 
fortunate position — unfortunate  in  that  we  have  been 
forced  by  circumstances  into  playing  a  part  which  seems 
unworthy." 

Baillot  turned  and  faced  the  young  officer.  "  You  are 
an  Englishman,  lam  a  Frenchman,"  he  said  slowly  ; 
"'tis  the  custom,  born  of  the  centuries,  for  us  to  hate 
and  distrust  each  other.  You  think  us  flippant,  frivol- 
ous and  untruthful ;  we  think  you  stupid,  obstinate  and 
cold-hearted.  But  for  all  that,  we  are  in  the  sight  of 
God  but  two  human  beings,  neither  more  nor  less,  and 
putting  aside  all  foolish  mystery  and  intrigue  I  beg  that 
I  may  talk  to  you  as  man  to  man.  Believe  me  when  I 

96 


A  HUGUENOT 

say  that  there  is  some  terrible  mistake  here,  and  that  the 
lives  of  others  depend  on  its  being  put  right  at  once. 
Will  you  listen  to  me  ?' ' 

St.  Clair  was  visibly  moved  by  this  appeal ;  what  he 
might  have  said  on  the  spur  of  the  moment  he  after- 
ward confessed  that  he  did  not  know.  But  he  was 
spared  further  embarrassment  by  the  approach  of  Tor- 
rington.  That  worthy  officer  having  seen  the  two 
young  men  in  close  conversation,  and  knowing  the  im- 
petuous nature  of  St.  Clair,  deemed  it  wise  to  inter- 
fere. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  congratulate  monsieur  on  his 
speedy  recovery,"  he  said  stiffly,  as  he  approached. 
"  I  find  that  monsieur's  body-servant  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  be  wounded,  and  is  incapacitated  for  further 
duty.  The  fellow  deserves  the  rope's-end  for  disobeying 
orders,"  he  added  with  a  frown. 

"  The  negro  was,  on  the  contrary,  faithful  to  his  duty 
in  the  face  of  death  itself. ' ' 

' '  How  so,  your — that  is,  monsieur  ?' ' 

"  The  poor  fellow  had  received  instructions  to  keep 
his  prisoner  below  at  all  costs,"  said  Baillot;  "accord- 
ingly he  locked  the  cabin -door,  and  concealed  the  key. 
This  not  jumping  with  the  wishes  of  his  prisoner — a 
difficult  fellow  to  manage — he  presently  found  himself 
unable  to  cope  with  the  situation.  In  short,  the  pris- 
oner bound  him,  forced  the  door,  and  escaped  to  the 
deck.  The  negro  escaped  his  bonds  and  followed  his 
charge  into  the  action  with  the  hope  of  being  able  to 
shield  him  from  harm,  and  so  he  was  wounded.  Is  my 
Lord  Torrington  satisfied  with  the  explanation  ?' ' 

Torrington  bowed  stiffly  ;  his  face  was  a  study. 

"  I  shall  place  one  of  the  marines  at  your  service," 
7  97 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

he  said  at  length,  "  but  I  fear  he  will  prove  but  an  in- 
different valet. ' ' 

"That  is  of  no  consequence,  sir.  But  now  that  I 
have  the  opportunity,  let  me  explain — ' ' 

"Your  most  humble  pardon,  monsieur,"  interrupted 
the  other,  with  a  wave  of  his  hand,  "  it  is  quite  out  of 
my  power  to  enter  into  any  explanations  at  present. 
Explanations  must  be  postponed,  till  we  set  foot  on 
English  soil,  which  will  be  I  trust  at  no  distant  hour. 
St.  Clair,  a  word  with  you  in  my  cabin  ;  monsieur,  the 
marine  who  will  attend  you  ! ' ' 


CHAPTER  XIII 

AT    WARHAM    CASTLE 

THE  remainder  of  the  voyage  passed  monotonously 
enough.  The  young  Huguenot  found  that  more  liberty 
was  accorded  him  in  that  he  was  permitted  to  go  upon 
deck  at  will,  but  wherever  he  went,  at  his  elbow  like  a 
shadow,  was  the  marine  who  had  been  detailed  to  his 
service. 

After  one  or  two  attempts  to  enter  into  conversation 
with  the  man,  Baillot  had  abandoned  any  further  effort 
in  this  direction.  .The  fellow  was  apparently  quite 
stupid,  and  beyond  a  stolid  "  Ay,  ay,  sir  !"  in  answer  to 
some  request,  obstinately  refused  to  talk.  Officers  and 
sailors  alike  saluted  him  with  profound  respect  when- 
ever he  appeared,  but  any  attempt  at  conversation  on 
his  part  was  met  with  courteous  but  persistent  discour- 
agement. Neither  St.  Clair  nor  Torrington  had  spoken 
with  him  since  the  day  of  the  battle  beyond  the  ordi- 
nary greetings  of  the  day. 

The  young  man  haughtily  accepted  the  situation  ;  he 
ceased  to  attempt  any  communication  with  those  about 
him,  passing  long  hours  in  reading,  of  which  luckily  he 
was  fond.  At  other  times  he  paced  the  deck,  moodily 
thinking  of  those  left  behind  on  the  island.  At  such 
times  the  lovely  face  of  Madeline  seemed  to  arise  before 
him,  her  large  dark  eyes  full  of  fear  and  sorrow. 
' '  Good  God  ! "  he  thought,  in  a  fury  of  impotent  grief. 
99 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  I  am  helpless  in  the  huge  coils  of  another's  fate  !  I 
must  break  away,  I  cannot  endure  it. ' ' 

He  resolved  a  thousand  times  that  he  would  escape 
and  make  his  way  back  at  any  cost.  How  he  was  to 
accomplish  this,  penniless  as  he  was,  and  totally  igno- 
rant of  the  whereabouts  of  the  island,  he  did  not  stop 
to  consider.  The  first  thing  was  to  get  away.  And  this 
he  determined  to  do  as  soon  as  possible  after  landing. 

He  awoke  one  morning  to  find  that  the  vessel  had 
come  to  anchor  in  the  night.  Springing  out  of  his 
berth,  he  began  to  dress  hastily,  observing  to  his  dis- 
may that  a  suit  of  unusual  richness  and  splendor  had 
been  placed  ready  for  him. 

"Hardly  the  thing,"  he  muttered.  "Here,  you, 
Jones,  fetch  me  a  plain  cloth  suit — cloth,  understand, 
with  no  trimmings." 

"  'Aven't  got  it,  m'  lord,"  said  .the  marine  stolidly. 

"See  here,  my  man,"  said  Baillot  impulsively, 
"  these  people  have  made  a  big  blunder  in  bringing  me 
off  on  this  vessel.  I  am  not  the  man  they  want,  and 
I  must  get  away  ;  this  ring  now  is  a  valuable  one,  take 
it,  and  help  me  ashore.  You'll  not  regret  it,"  he  added 
persuasively. 

The  man  regarded  him  furtively,  a  gleam  in  his  fishy 
eye.  "You  don't  'appen  to  'ave  any  gold  about  you, 
do  you,  m'  lord?  I  hain't  no  use  for  that  'ere  ring; 
it  "ud  get  me  into  a  'cap  of  trouble." 

"Confound  it — no  !  I  have  no  gold,  they  brought 
me  away  in  the  dead  of  night — but  look  you,  I  can  get 
money,  and  I'll  pay  anything  you  like.  Only  help  me 
now!" 

The  man  shook  his  head.  "I've  'card  hoften  an' 
hoften  as  'ow  a  bird  in  the  'and  is  worth  two  in  the 
100 


AT  WARHAM  CASTLE 

bush.  I'm  a  goin'  to  get  paid  'andsome  for  keepin' 
you  all  safe,  and  by  parties  as  'ave  plenty  of  good 
Henglish  gold.  That's  good  enough  for  me,  and  a  deal 
safer." 

And  with  that  he  went  stolidly  on  with  his  prepara- 
tions for  breakfast,  a  most  edifying  expression  of  unim- 
peachable honesty  on  his  broad  red  face. 

Baillot  bit  his  lip.  He  felt  that  he  had  made  a  seri- 
ous blunder  in  attempting  to  corrupt  the  man,  who 
would  now  be  doubly  on  his  guard. 

"Where  are  we?"   he  asked  abruptly. 

The  man  looked  at  him  in  surprise.  "  I  thought  m' 
lord,  as  'ow  you  knowed  by  this  time  that  I  was  hal- 
lowed to  hanswer  no  questions.  I  make  no  doubt  but 
that  you'll  know  where  we  are  all  in  good  time." 

After  he  had  breakfasted  in  gloomy  silence,  the  young 
man  caught  up  a  book  from  the  table,  intending  to  go  on 
deck  for  awhile,  but  he  was  confronted  in  the  passage- 
way by  the  guard.  Reduced  to  the  necessity  of  passing 
the  day  in  his  cabin,  he  resigned  himself  to  his  fate 
with  outward  composure,  though  inwardly  he  was  boil- 
ing over  with  impatience. 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Torrington  ac- 
companied by  St.  Clair  entered  his  cabin. 

"I  have  the  honor  of  informing  monsieur,"  said 
Torrington  stiffly,  "that  having  reached  anchorage  he 
will  now  disembark.  I  regret  most  heartily  the  un- 
pleasant circumstance  of  the  battle,  which  afforded 
monsieur  serious  annoyance,  but  which  it  was  impos- 
sible to  avoid,  and  trust  that  in  the  future  he  will  re- 
member not  unpleasantly  his  voyage  in  The  Conqueror, 
together  with  its  commander,  who  is,  and  will  ever  be, 
most  devoted  to  his  interests. ' ' 
101 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Having  delivered  himself  of  this  speech  with  the  air 
of  one  who  had  committed  it  to  memory,  the  officer 
indicated  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  that  the  young  man 
was  to  follow  him. 

Upon  deck  Baillot  found  to  his  surprise  the  entire 
force  of  marines  drawn  up  as  if  for  inspection.  They 
uncovered  upon  his  appearance  with  a  ringing  cheer. 
On  the  quarter-deck  stood  an  imposing  group  of  men, 
gold-laced  and  bejewelled,  apparently  awaiting  his  ap- 
proach. 

"  I  have  the  pleasure  and  honor  of  presenting  to 
monsieur  the  governor  of  the  castle  of  Warham,"  said 
Torrington  solemnly. 

Whereat  one  of  the  gold-laced  and  bejewelled  indi- 
viduals stepped  forward  and  bowed  profoundly.  He 
was  a  small  man  with  a  yellow  wizened  countenance, 
and  sharp  grey  eyes,  which  he  fixed  upon  Baillot  like  a 
pair  of  gimlets.  Something  that  he  saw  evidently  sur- 
prised and  discomfited  him  exceedingly,  for  he  con- 
tinued to  stare,  without  speaking,  for  a  full  minute,  his 
mouth  half-open  as  though  the  words  had  suddenly 
frozen  upon  his  tongue. 

"  Will  your  excellency  proceed  at  once  to  disembark," 
said  Torrington,  observing  his  discomfiture.  "  My 
orders  permit  of  no  unnecessary  delay. ' ' 

The  governor  turned  a  lack-lustre  eye  upon  the  offi- 
cer ;  he  seemed  about  to  speak,  but  evidently  changed 
his  mind,  and  backed  toward  the  open  bulwark,  where 
an  elaborate  barge  was  in  waiting.  Here  he  paused 
and  with  another  obeisance  waved  his  hand  to  Baillot 
to  descend  before  him  ;  several  of  the  marines  sprang 
forward  to  assist  him  j  the  governor  followed,  and  pres- 
ently the  barge  swung  slowly  away  from  the  ship,  while 

102 


AT  WARHAM  CASTLE 

a  hearty  three  times  three  burst  from  the  throats  of  the 
sailors  assembled  on  her  decks. 

Baillot  saw  St.  Clair  leaning  over  the  bulwark  watch- 
ing him  ;  he  waved  his  hand  by  way  of  farewell ;  the 
young  officer  doffed  his  cap,  and  bowed  low. 

' '  Can  you  tell  me,  sir,  whither  I  am  bound  ?' '  he 
asked,  turning  to  the  governor  who  was  seated  by  his 
side. 

"  You  are  on  your  way  to  the  castle  of  Warham," 
replied  the  little  man  with  another  penetrating  look 
into  the  face  of  the  questioner,  ''where  I  shall  have  the 
pleasure  and  honor  of  entertaining  you  until  further 
advices  reach  me. ' ' 

"Yes?"  returned  the  young  man  interrogatively. 
"  So  much  I  had  already  gathered  from  our  good  friend 
the  commander  of  yonder  vessel.  Perhaps  you  will  be 
good  enough  to  inform  me  whom  you  suppose  me  to 
be  ?  I  fancy  that  there  is  here  some  curious  misunder- 
standing which  a  word  of  frank  explanation  would  serve 
to  do  away,  to  the  mutual  relief  and  advantage  of  all 
concerned." 

The  governor  cleared  his  throat  loudly  and  moved 
uneasily  about  in  his  place,  casting  a  half-frightened 
glance  at  several  attendants  who  stood  near ;  at  length 
he  spoke  in  a  slow  and  cautious  way,  as  of  one  who 
carefully  weighs  each  word  ere  he  utters  it. 

' '  Your  question  is  a  most  natural  one  under  the  cir- 
cumstances— most  natural.  I  do  not  wonder  that  you 
have  given  it  utterance,  nor  that  you  feel  the  greatest 
anxiety  to  have  it  answered.  And  yet  my  duty  com- 
pels me — I  assure  you  that  it  compels  me — to  ask  you 
to — await — further — developments. ' ' 

Baillot  was  on  the  point  of  returning,  an  impatient 
103 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

answer  to  this  speech,  but  on  second  thought  he  forced 
back  the  hot  words  which  had  risen  to  his  lips.  "  The 
castle  of  Warham,  I  presume?"  he  said,  turning  his 
eyes  shoreward  upon  a  massive  pile  of  buildings,  flanked 
by  long  irregular  lines  of  fortification  and  straggling 
rows  of  whitewashed  cottages,  which  shone  brilliantly 
in  the  afternoon  sunshine. 

"The  castle  and  town  of  Warham,"  assented  the 
man  at  his  side  with  a  comprehensive  wave  of  the  hand. 

As  he  spoke  the  barge  shot  into  the  black  shadow  of 
the  castle  walls,  glided  easily  beneath  a  massive  arch- 
way of  masonry,  between  the  iron  jaws  of  the  water- 
gate  flung  wide  to  receive  it,  and  stopped  before  a  flight 
of  broad  stone  steps.  On  either  side  of  this  entrance 
was  drawn  up  a  line  of  men-at-arms  as  silent  and  appar- 
ently as  immovable  as  the  hoary  towers  above  their 
heads. 

"Warham  castle,"  repeated  the  governor  rising,  and 
performing  a  stately  obeisance.  "  I  make  monsieur 
right  welcome  to  the  securest  stronghold  in  merry  Eng- 
land!" 

Ascending  the  steps  the  party  entered  a  large  court- 
yard, on  all  sides  of  which  looked  down  the  dark  walls 
of  the  castle,  pierced  at  intervals  with  narrow  windows. 
Baillot's  eye  was  irresistibly  drawn  upward  to  one  of 
these  casements  in  which  stood  a  brilliant  nosegay, 
flaunting  its  bright  blossoms  of  scarlet  and  yellow  in 
pleasing  contrast  to  the  somber  grey  of  the  ancient 
stone. 

A  passing  gust  of  wind  served  at  that  moment  to 
overthrow  the  slender  glass  vase  which  contained  the 
flowers,  and  it  fell  with  a  musical  tinkle  to  the  pave- 
ment below,  scattering  a  swift  shower  of  brightness  into 

104 


AT  WARHAM  CASTLE 

the  gloomy  place.  A  little  cry  followed  and  a  small 
golden  head  was  thrust  out  of  the  window,  to  be  with- 
drawn instantly  at  sight  of  the  group  below.  In  that 
instant,  however,  Baillot  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  a 
charming  face,  lighted  up  by  a  pair  of  dancing  blue 
eyes.  With  a  sudden  movement  he  seized  one  of  the 
falling  blossoms  and  fastened  it  carefully  in  the  lappet 
of  his  coat. 

' '  Monsieur  is  quick  of  eye  and  hand  ! ' '  observed  the 
governor  dryly.  "We  have  now  to  go  this  way,"  in- 
dicating as  he  spoke  a  narrow  stairway. 

At  the  top  of  the  stairway  one  of  the  attendants  pro- 
duced a  huge  iron  key  and  with  some  difficulty  un- 
locked a  heavy  oaken  door,  which  further  admitted 
them  to  a  narrow  corridor  paved  with  stone.  A  second 
flight  of  steps,  of  such  ancient  date  that  the  very  stone 
of  which  they  were  composed  was  worn  into  hollows, 
brought  them  to  another  door  heavily  bound  and 
clamped  with  iron ;  this  being  opened,  with  much  puf- 
fing and  straining  on  the  part  of  the  man  who  carried 
the  keys,  the  party  entered  a  lofty  room,  also  con- 
structed solidly  of  stone.  A  look  of  warmth  and  even 
luxury,  however,  was  imparted  to  this  grim  chamber  by 
the  priceless  tapestries  which  covered  the  walls,  while 
upon  the  floor  the  foot  sunk  noiselessly  into  carpets  of 
the  texture  and  softness  of  moss.  A  small  fire  of  fagots 
blazed  upon  the  hearth,  which  was  overhung  by  a 
monstrous  chimney-piece  of  curious  design.  In  strange 
contrast  to  the  stern  massiveness  of  the  place  were  a 
number  of  trifling  ornaments,  a  French  clock,  a  buhl 
table  containing  a  vase  of  flowers,  an  escritoire,  and  in 
one  corner  a  lute,  with  pendant  blue  ribbons,  leaning 
up  against  a  gay  little  sofa. 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

The  governor  cast  a  hasty  glance  about  him,  then 
turning  to  Baillot  said  gravely,  "  Monsieur  will,  I  trust, 
find  himself  quite  comfortable  here.  He  is  assuredly 
as  safe  as  one  can  well  be  in  this  uncertain  world.  You 
will  observe — "  he  added  with  some  pride  evident  in 
his  voice,  ' '  that  the  castle  walls  are  here  ten  feet  in 
thickness." 

"  Safe  from  what  ?"  demanded  Baillot,  planting  him- 
self directly  in  front  of  the  little  man. 

"Safe  from  what?"  repeated  the  governor,  with  an 
amazed  look.  "  I  wonder  that  you  ask,  and  yet  per- 
haps it  is  not,  under  the  circumstances,  to  be  wondered 
at.  But  I  can  only  repeat  what  I  have  said  ;  you  are 
safe.  I  must  now  leave  you  for  the  present.  Your  bed- 
chamber adjoins  this  on  the  left.  Refreshments  will  be 
served  at  once. ' ' 

"Stay,  sir!"  cried  Baillot,  "I  must — "  But  the 
little  man  was  gone,  the  great  oaken  door  shutting 
after  him  with  a  loud  bang  ;  the  grating  of  the  key  as  it 
turned  in  its  clumsy  lock  informed  the  unlucky  Hugue- 
not that  he  was  still  a  prisoner.  He  listened  intently, 
there  was  nothing  to  be  heard  save  the  sound  of  retreat- 
ing footsteps  which  reverberated  in  faint  echoes  along 
the  corridor  without. 

"  So  I  am  safe,"  he  said  aloud, — "  this  looks  like  it ; 
and  evidently  left  entirely  to  myself  in  a  corner  of  this 
old  pile. ' '  A  faint  cough  from  the  other  side  of  the 
door  informed  him  that  this  was  not  the  case  ;  he  bent 
down,  and  peering  curiously  through  the  great  keyhole 
was  rewarded  for  his  pains  by  a  glimpse  of  the  scarlet 
livery  and  motionless  halberds  of  two  of  the  men-at-arms. 
"  No  getting  away  there,"  he  muttered.  "  Now  the 
windows. ' ' 

1 06 


AT  WARHAM  CASTLE 

But  these  narrow  apertures,  guarded  by  iron  bars  as 
thick  as  a  man's  finger  and  opening  directly  over  the 
water  at  a  perilous  height  seemed  to  promise  little 
better. 

An  agreeable  diversion  now  occurred  in  the  shape  of 
dinner,  which  made  its  appearance  borne  on  silver  trays 
by  two  gigantic  lackeys.  With  portentous  solemnity 
these  worthies  drew  forth  a  small  table  upon  which  they 
spread  a  repast,  almost  barbaric  in  its  profusion,  and 
for  which  the  young  man  found  a  hearty  appetite. 
When  he  had  finished,  they  gathered  together  the  ap- 
purtenances of  the  feast,  still  in  the  same  noiseless  and 
solemn  manner,  and  after  lighting  a  couple  of  silver 
lamps  withdrew. 

Left  to  himself,  Baillot  proceeded  to  examine  the 
bedchamber.  He  soon  satisfied  himself  that  it  had  but 
the  single  door  by  which  he  had  entered  ;  its  windows 
two  in  number  looked  out  over  the  sea.  He  swung  him- 
self up  into  one  of  the  narrow  embrasures  and  looked 
out.  The  sun  was  setting  amid  a  fiery  pageant  of  cloud 
and  its  ruddy  beams  shining  into  the  chamber,  subdued 
to  a  sickly  glimmer  the  light  of  the  lamps.  As  far  as 
the  eye  could  reach  there  stretched  the  boundless  pano- 
rama of  sea  and  sky  glowing  with  golden  and  rosy  light. 
From  the  ships  which  lay  at  anchor  in  the  bay  he  could 
catch  the  faint  "Yo,  ho!"  of  the  sailors,  and  some- 
where nearer  at  hand  sounded  the  soft  music  of  a  lute. 

Insensibly  the  young  man  yielded  to  the  influences 
of  the  hour  ;  he  sat  quite  still,  his  head  resting  against 
the  hard  stones  of  the  wall,  his  mind  full  of  melancholy 
thoughts.  Suddenly  he  was  aroused  from  his  revery 
by  a  soft  whirring  of  wings,  and  with  a  gentle  cooing 
sound  a  white  pigeon  alighted  upon  the  ledge  of  the 
107 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

window  ;  presently  it  crept  between  the  bars  and  quite 
unmindful  of  his  presence  began  to  peck  at  the  stones 
as  if  in  search  of  something  to  eat.  Leaning  forward 
to  examine  his  little  visitor  more  closely,  he  saw  to  his 
surprise  that  the  pigeon  was  invested  with  a  slender  band 
about  his  body ;  he  loosened  this,  the  bird  submitting 
without  fear  to  his  touch,  and  drew  from  beneath  its 
wing  a  small  sqxiare  packet. 


108 


CHAPTER   XIV 

A    MIDNIGHT   VISITOR 

FULL  of  wonder  Baillot  unfolded  the  paper,  which 
he  saw  at  once  contained  several  lines  of  close  hand- 
writing, and  spreading  it  open  upon  his  knee,  bent 
himself  to  the  task  of  deciphering  it  by  the  fading 
light.  He  read  as  follows  : 

"  Since  your  cruel  father  has  denied  you  the  privi- 
lege of  attending  church — where,  sweet  saint,  I  could 
at  least  adore  you  from  a  distance — I  have  languished  in 
vain  for  a  single  smile.  At  midnight  await  the  signal, 
and  lower  the  cord  which  you  will  find  secreted  within 
the  body  of  your  lute.  Before  dawn  we  shall  be  in  a 
position  to  defy  the  wrath  of  those  who  would  fain 
separate  us.  Farewell,  my  own  Helena,  yours  until 
death  and  after. — RODERICK.  ' ' 

When  the  young  Huguenot  had  finished  reading  this 
precious  epistle  he  smiled,  then  laughed  aloud  softly. 

"Ha,  little  one,"  he  said,  addressing  the  pigeon, 
which  was  still  pacing  up  and  down  the  embrasure, 
"you  have  made  a  sore  mistake  in  your  homing  this 
time.  This  pretty  letter  should  have  called  a  blush  to 
a  fairer  cheek  than  mine.  It  was  doubtless  intended 
for  the  maid  with  the  golden  hair  and  the  merry  blue 
eye,  whose  nosegay  took  such  a  sad  tumble  this  after- 
noon." 

He  again  glanced  thoughtfully  at  the  paper  which  he 
109 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

held  in  his  hand — "the  cord  which  you  will  find  se- 
creted within  the  body  of  your  lute ' '  were  the  words 
which  met  his  eye. 

A  sudden  thought  struck  him,  he  sprang  down  from 
his  perch,  and  seizing  the  blue -ribboned  lute  thrust  his 
hand  into  its  body.  There  was  something  within  ;  he 
drew  it  forth — it  was  unquestionably  a  long  cord  rolled 
neatly  up  into  a  little  ball. 

"  An  elopement  at  midnight,"  he  murmured.  "  Ah, 
yes,  if  now  I  can  but  persuade  this  brave  gallant  that 
I  am  quite  as  desirable  a  companion  as  the  blue-eyed, 
lady.  But  how  will  my  unknown  adorer  effect  an 
entrance  into  these  iron-clad  windows?  Stay,  it  is 
possible  that  the  bars  are  not  so  formidable  as  they 
appear. ' ' 

Which  surmise  was  shortly  proven  correct,  as  he 
found  to  his  great  satisfaction.  Four  of  the  bars  in  one 
window  had  been  cut  completely  through,  and  were 
ready  to  yield  to  the  slightest  touch,  though  they  pre- 
sented to  the  casual  observer  the  same  impregnable  as- 
pect as  the  others. 

But  the  young  man  was  not  to  be  left  to  himself  for 
the  night  without  further  attention  from  his  noble  host. 
Shortly  after  he  had  examined  the  windows,  a  light  tap 
sounded  upon  the  door  of  his  chamber,  and  an  elderly 
man-servant  entered,  wearing  the  crimson  livery  of  the 
house,  and  bearing  a  small  silver  tray,  containing  pre- 
sumably some  slight  refreshment  for  the  honored  guest 
should  he  chance  to  hunger  in  the  night.  This  func- 
tionary proceeded  in  discreet  silence  to  lay  out  a  great 
array  of  ivory -backed  brushes,  crystal  flasks,  and  other 
toilet  appurtenances,  together  with  a  silken  night-robe 
and  an  embroidered  dressing-gown, 
no 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISITOR 

He  then  approached  the  door,  and  opening  it  made 
some  signal  to  those  without.  Immediately  there  entered 
two  footmen  bearing  a  small  truckle-bed,  which  they 
set  down  in  one  corner,  after  which  they  noiselessly 
withdrew.  Baillot  perceived  that  this  meant  the  pres- 
ence of  the  elderly  man-ser/ant  for  the  night.  He 
started  up  from  the  great  chair  where  he  had  been 
lounging,  idly  watching  the  methodical  movements  of 
the  lackey. 

' '  See  here,  my  good  man  ! "  he  said,  frowning.  ' '  I 
never  permit  my  valet  de  chambre  to  sleep  in  my  apart- 
ment ;  you  must  remove  your  couch  to  the  corridor 
without — and  at  once." 

The  man  looked  startled.  "Pardon,  monsieur,"  he 
said  humbly,  "but  I  have  my  orders  from  the  governor, 
and—" 

"  That  makes  not  the  slightest  difference,  sirrah.  The 
governor  will  not  presume  to  dictate  to  me  about  a 
matter  of  my  personal  comfort.  Remove  that  bed 
instantly. ' ' 

The  lackey  hesitated  a  moment  longer,  but  an  im- 
perative gesture  from  Baillot  evidently  decided  him. 
Muttering  something  about  asking  the  governor's  gra- 
cious permission,  he  again  opened  the  door,  and  the 
offending  couch  was  removed. 

"You  may  find  the  corridor  a  draughty  and  rheum- 
provoking  place,  my  good  fellow,"  remarked  Baillot 
graciously,  "but  for  all  that  you  must  pass  the  night 
there  for  once.  It  will  not  be  necessary  again,  I  trust. 
Now,  as  everything  is  in  readiness  for  the  night,  you 
may  leave  me.  I  will  make  my  own  toilet.  Do  not 
disturb  me  before  ten  in  the  morning,  and,  above  all, 
do  not  enter  the  room  unless  I  ring." 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

The  man  bowed  low,  his  hand  upon  his  heart,  then 
backed  slowly  away. 

The  hours  until  midnight  passed  slowly  enough. 
Baillot  had  placed  himself  in  the  window  where  were 
the  loosened  bars ;  these  he  cautiously  removed,  and 
with  the  cord  in  his  hand  awaited  the  signal — no  doubt 
preconcerted  between  the  lovers,  but  of  which  he  was 
unfortunately  ignorant.  The  night  was  intensely  dark, 
and  as  the  appointed  hour  drew  near  a  fine  rain  began 
to  fall.  "All  the  better,"  he  thought  with  a  smile, 
as  he  pictured  to  himself  the  crestfallen  countenance 
of  the  eager  lover.  Then  another  thought  occurred  to 
him. 

"The  donkey  will  come  up  to  encourage  mademoi- 
selle to  descend, ' '  he  said  to  himself.  ' '  And  indeed 
she  must  needs  be  a  daring  maid,  and  desperately  in 
love,  to  essay  a  rope-ladder  from  this  dizzy  height.  I 
must  prepare  myself  for  his  reception." 

From  his  bedchamber  he  procured  a  pillow,  a  couple 
of  damask  towels,  which  he  ruthlessly  tore  into  strips, 
and  a  bit  of  the  voluminous  white  drapery  which  hung 
about  the  bed.  It  was  now  verging  close  upon  mid- 
night, and  he  resumed  his  post  in  the  embrasure  with 
a  beating  heart.  Presently  he  became  aware  of  the 
muffled  dip  of  oars  directly  beneath  his  window,  and 
then  the  cry  of  an  owl  echoed  with  startling  distinct- 
ness from  the  rocky  walls  of  the  castle. 

"Idiot!"  muttered  Baillot,  unrolling  the  cord  and 
lowering  it  rapidly  into  the  darkness. 

A  gentle  pull  on  the  cord  presently  informed  him 

that  it  had  reached  its  destination  ;  he  waited  a  moment 

longer  till  a  second  jerk  gave  the  signal  to  raise  it,  and 

shortly  the  first  round  of  a  strong  and  well-made  rope- 

112 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISITOR 

ladder  came  to  hand.  It  was  provided  with  a  pair  of 
stout  hooks,  and  these  he  made  fast  without  delay.  A 
pause  in  the  proceedings  followed ;  those  in  the  boat 
below  were  evidently  waiting  for  the  signal  to  ascend. 
The  young  man  was  nonplussed  for  an  instant,  then  he 
leaned  out  of  the  window  and  shook  the  ladder  three 
times. 

Immediately  the  ropes  became  taut,  and  presently  he 
could  discern  the  head  of  a  man  below.  He  withdrew 
himself  cautiously  into  the  shelter  of  the  window  dra- 
peries, and  waited,  his  heart  beating  quite  as  loudly  as 
if  he  had  been  the  yellow -haired  maid. 

The  head  of  the  man  was  now  on  a  level  with  the 
window.  "  Sweetest  Helena — adored  lady!"  came  a 
passionate  whisper,  "Where  are  you?" 

"Here,  Roderick,"  whispered  Baillot  faintly,  allow- 
ing a  bit  of  his  white  drapery  to  appear  from  behind 
the  curtain. 

"My  angel!"  And  the  slender  figure  of  a  very 
young  man  scrambled  quickly  in  through  the  window, 
and  leapt  lightly  down.  "  Come  to  my  arms  !" 

In  response  to  this  tender  invitation  Baillot  sprang 
suddenly  forward,  seized  the  stripling  about  the  waist, 
and  forced  him  down  to  the  floor,  smothering  his 
frightened  outcry  with  the  pillow.  In  another  instant 
he  had  bound  and  gagged  him  securely ;  then  he  arose, 
turned  up  the  light — which  he  had  thoughtfully  lowered 
in  keeping  with  the  tender  romance  of  the  scene  which 
had  just  been  enacted — and  surveyed  the  prostrate 
lover.  He  could  not  forbear  a  smile  at  the  expression 
in  the  eyes  of  the  youth  ;  rage,  surprise  and  entreaty 
were  mingled  in  the  anguished  look  with  which  he  re- 
garded his  captor. 

8  113 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  You  have  had  a  cruel  surprise,  my  young  friend," 
remarked  Baillot  gently,  "a  most  disagreeable  sur- 
prise ;  but  I  think  I  shall  be  able  to  convince  you  that 
worse  things  might  have  happened.  I  have  every  sym- 
pathy for  you  in  your  undertaking,  I  have  been  in  love 
myself,  my  dear  fellow.  In  fact  I  am  in  love  now,  and 
it  is  for  that  reason  that  I  encouraged  you  to  go  on  with 
this  little  affair,  which  has  apparently  ended  in  such  a 
fiasco — I  say  apparently,  my  dear  Roderick,  because 
your  cause  is  quite  uninjured  by  this  circumstance,  if 
you  will  do  exactly  as  I  say. ' ' 

The  young  fellow  writhed  convulsively,  with  a  dull 
groan  expressive  of  the  deepest  anguish,  and  Baillot 
stooped  to  satisfy  himself  that  his  bonds  were  not  un- 
comfortably tight. 

"  I  should  be  happy  to  relieve  you  of  your  gag,  sir," 
he  observed  politely,  "it  is  no  doubt  very  uncomfort- 
able ;  and  as  soon  as  I  have  succeeded  in  convincing  you 
that  it  is  to  your  interest  to  be  quite  still  I  will  do  so. 
In  the  meantime  let  me  assure  you  that  your  lady  is  safe, ' ' 
and  he  proceeded  to  relate  the  circumstances  of  the 
afternoon.  "You  see,"  he  continued,  "that  perhaps 
fearing  your  prowess,  her  father  has  caused  her  to  be 
removed  from  her  apartments  to  another  part  of  the 
castle,  and  so  unexpectedly  that  she  had  no  time  to 
communicate  with  you ;  the  matter  is  perfectly  plain. 
Now  at  this  moment  there  are,  on  guard  outside  of  my 
door,  several  men-at-arms  and  a  valet  de  chambre.  I  have 
only  to  open  my  door  and  call  them  in,  and  voila  ! 
You  are  removed,  the  stern  parent  is  aroused  from  his 
slumber,  and — ah,  you  follow  me.  I  shall  shortly  be 
able  to  loose  you.  But  first,  attention  !  I  am  a  pris- 
oner here ;  that  rope-ladder  means  safety ;  I  shall 

114 


A  MIDNIGHT  VISITOR 

descend  it,  either  with,  or  without  you.  I  much  prefer 
that  it  shall  be  with  you,  for  in  that  case  you  will  give 
orders  to  your  people  to  take  me  to  a  place  of  safety. 
If  you  think  best  to  refuse,  my  course  is  perfectly 
plain.  I  shall  descend  the  ladder ;  I  shall  escape ! 
And  you  ?  You  shall  remain  ;  the  valet  will  come  in  at 
ten  ;  you  will  not  be  neglected.  You  understand  me  ? 
I  will  loose  one  hand,  if  you  are  prepared  to  follow 
my  very  reasonable  suggestions,  be  so  good  as  to  lift 
one  finger.  Ah,  you  consent !" 

"Who  are  you?"  said  the  young  fellow,  rising  from 
the  floor,  and  ruefully  rubbing  his  wrists.  He  was  a 
handsome  stripling,  with  frank,  honest  brown  eyes, 
which  he  fixed  upon  his  conqueror  with  a  curious 
stare. 

"Who  am  I?"  repeated  Baillot.  "lam  really  in 
doubt  on  that  score.  I  should  be  very  glad  to  know 
who  I  am  personating  at  present.  However,  that 
doesn't  matter  in  the  very  least  to  either  you  or  me. 
We  must  get  away,  and  speedily.  But  first,  tell  me 
what  you  were  intending,  had  this  little  affair  gone  as 
you  wished?" 

"Intending?"  exclaimed  the  youth,  "why,  to  get 
married,  sir,  and  as  soon  as  possible.  The  devil  take 
you  !"  he  added  in  a  sudden  rage. 

"Not  yet,  I  hope,"  observed  Baillot  soothingly. 
"Don't  get  excited,  I  entreat  you,  my  young  friend; 
remember  that  there  are  sharp  ears  on  the  other  side 
of  that  door ;  an  explanation  of  your  presence  here  at 
this  hour  might  prove  a  little  awkward.  What  I 
meant  was  this  :  where  were  you  intending  to  go  when 
the  descent  of  the  rope-ladder  should  have  been  suc- 
cessfully accomplished  ?' ' 

"5 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  By  carriage  first,  to  a  clergyman  in  an  adjoining 
parish  ;  after  that — I — ' ' 

"You  mean  that  beyond  that  point  you  have  not 
made  definite  plans,  possibly  a  return  to  the  stern  father 
and  a  reconciliation — eh  ?' ' 

"That's  none  of  your  business,  sir,"  said  the  strip- 
ling sulkily. 

"You  are  right,  boy.  I  beg  your  pardon  for  my 
seeming  impertinence.  Once  out  of  this  confounded 
place  I  will  tell  you  who  I  am,  and  how  I  came  to  be  a 
prisoner  in  Warham  castle.  Meantime  I  must  not  fail 
to  observe  a  time-honored  custom  and  leave  behind  me 
an  explanatory  note  for  the  eye  of  the  stern  father. ' ' 

And  seizing  a  quill  which  lay  together  with  an  ink- 
horn  on  a  table  near  at  hand,  he  hastily  scrawled  a  few 
lines. 

Just  as  he  was  signing  his  name  he  heard  a  cautious 
cough  outside  the  door.  Turning  to  the  lad,  who  was 
standing  near  watching  his  movements  with  a  cloudy 
brow,  he  whispered,  "  Out  of  the  window,  sir,  in- 
stantly— the  valet !" 

The  boy  needed  no  second  bidding.  Like  a  flash 
he  sprang  to  the  window  and  disappeared.  Baillot 
hastily  drew  the  heavy  curtains  before  the  tell-tale  open- 
ing, not  an  instant  too  soon,  for  the  door  opened  cau- 
tiously, and  the  elderly  man-servant  appeared  upon  the 
threshold,  bearing  in  his  hand  a  small  rush -light,  and 
winking  and  blinking  like  a  man  newly  aroused  from 
sleep. 


116 


.  /• 

CHAPTER  XV 

THE    ESCAPE 

"How  ncm,"  said  Baillot  sternly,  "did  you  hear 
rne  ring?" 

1 '  No,  your  honor,  humbly  begging  your  honor' s  par- 
don, I  did  not  hear  you  ring,  but — ' ' 

"No  buts,  fellow.  I  ordered  you  to  remain  outside 
till  you  should  hear  the  bell.  Go,  and  do  not  again  in- 
trude yourself  into  my  presence  unbidden." 

The  man  cringed  visibly  before  the  young  man's 
stern  eye,  but  he  stood  his  ground  obstinately.  "The 
guard,  your  noble  honor — the  guard  aroused  me ;  he 
insisted  that  he  heard  voices  within.  I  thought — ' ' 

"You  have  no  business  to  think;  that  is  for  your 
betters.  If  it  pleases  me  to  talk  with  myself  that  con- 
cerns neither  you  nor  the  guard.  Is  it  then  forbidden 
to  speak  in  Warham  castle  !  and  if  so,  why  do  you  stand 
chattering  there  when  I  have  already  twice  bidden  you 
begone  ?' ' 

But  the  man's  sharp  eyes  had  not  been  idle,  and  now 
instead  of  retreating,  he  cautiously  closed  the  door  be- 
hind him,  and  advanced  into  the  room,  evidently  bent 
upon  examining  the  bits  of  cloth  with  which  Baillot  had 
bound  the  adventurous  lover. 

As  he  stooped  the  young  man  sprang  upon  him,  and 
in  another  moment  he  too  lay  gagged  and  bound  upon 
the  floor. 

117 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Now,  sirrah,  is  your  curiosity  satisfied?  Perhaps 
you  will  conclude  that  it  is  best  to  obey  in  future." 
And  extinguishing  the  lamps,  Baillot  crawled  cautiously 
out  of  the  window,  and  began  a  swift  descent  of  the 
rope-ladder.  When  he  had  neared  the  bottom,  he 
paused,  and  listened  intently ;  there  was  no  sound  save 
the  rippling  of  the  waves  as  they  lapped  gently  about 
the  base  of  the  tower.  He  whistled  cautiously  through 
his  closed  teeth  ;  there  was  no  response. 

"The  young  rascal!"  he  thought.  "He  has  left 
me.  'Tis  a  lucky  thing  he  was  unable  to  take  his  lad- 
der with  him.  I  must  swim  for  it,  there's  no  telling 
how  long  that  villain  lackey's  mouth  will  be  quiet;  I 
gagged  him  too  lightly  I  fear. ' ' 

Cautiously  divesting  himself  of  his  coat,  he  threw  it 
into  the  sea,  then  descending  a  few  more  rounds  of  the 
ladder,  he  was  discomfited  to  find  that  although  he  was 
still  at  some  distance  above  the  water  his  foot  encoun- 
tered the  empty  air. 

"PesteJ"  he  muttered,  "did  the  idiot  expect  the 
girl  to  drop  into  a  boat  from  this  height  ? — ah,  I  per- 
ceive that  my  gallant  young  friend  has  cut  the  ropes, 
and  as  high  as  he  could  reach.  Well,  I  must  drop — 
Heaven  send  that  there  be  a  good  depth  of  water 
below!" 

Clinging  to  the  last  round  of  the  ladder,  and  hanging 
motionless  till  it  should  cease  its  giddy  swaying,  the 
young  Huguenot  endeavored  to  pierce  the  thick  dark- 
ness which  surrounded  him.  A  ghastly  vision  of  a 
crushed  and  shapeless  body  washing  helplessly  against 
the  base  of  the  grim  tower,  arose  before  his  mental 
vision.  And  for  an  instant  he  was  tempted  to  re- 
ascend  the  ladder  to  the  snug  security  of  the  chamber 

118 


THE  ESCAPE 

above,  but  the  thought  of  Madeline,  and  the  hapless 
party  on  the  island,  gave  him  fresh  courage  ;  breathing 
a  brief  prayer  to  heaven,  he  let  go  his  hold,  and  fell 
with  a  sounding  splash  into  the  sea. 

As  he  arose  and  struck  out,  he  heard  the  drowsy  call 
of  the  sentry  from  the  top  of  the  tower.  Swimming  as 
noiselessly  as  possible  he  made  for  the  nearest  point  of 
land.  Before  many  minutes  his  foot  struck  bottom, 
and  he  cautiously  emerged  upon  the  shore.  He  paused 
to  shake  the  water  from  his  clothing.  All  was  quiet  in 
the  direction  of  the  castle,  which  loomed  up  darkly  on 
the  right,  illumined  here  and  there  with  a  twinkling 
point  of  light.  Not  far  from  the  spot  where  he  had 
landed  a  large  fire  blazed  cheerily  amid  the  trees  ;  there 
were  several  persons  in  its  vicinity,  for  an  occasional  dark 
figure  passed  and  repassed  betwixt  him  and  the  red 
blaze.  By  degrees  he  had  approached  near  enough  to 
hear  scraps  of  the  conversation  which  was  going  on 
briskly  between  two  of  the  persons  at  the  fireside — an 
old  woman,  who  held  between  her  teeth  a  short  black 
pipe,  and  a  tall  swarthy  young  man,  his  head  bound 
about  with  a  scarlet  handkerchief.  Near  them  were 
half  a  dozen  brawny  fellows  stretched  at  full  length  and 
snoring  loudly,  while  behind  the  fire  loomed  the  dim 
outlines  of  two  or  three  covered  wagons. 

"You  bungled  the  job,  my  lad,  and  so  lost  a  hand- 
some bit  of  gold.  You  should  have  done  as  I  said  a 
week  ago." 

"  I  was  ready  but  he  wasn't,"  replied  the  young  fel- 
low sulkily.  "You  can't  hurry  these  fine  folks.  He 
was  afraid,  poor  fool." 

' '  Not  so  much  fool  as  you  ! ' '  snarled  the  old  woman, 
removing  the  pipe  from  between  her  lips  and  spitting 

119 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

viciously  into  the  fire.      "  I've  a  mind  to  lay  the  rope's 
end  onto  you  for  a  doddering  blockhead. ' ' 

"Ay,  and  have  you,  old  woman,"  sneered  the  other. 
"You'd  best  keep  a  civil  tongue  in  your  head,  for  I'll 
not  hear  your  dotard  ravings.  I've  had  the  rope's  end 
from  you  for  the  last  time.  Nay,  if  I  should  choose  to 
whisper  something  I  wot  of  into  yonder  magistrate's 
ear,  somebody  else  'ud  get  the  rope's  end  with  a  loop  in 
it — hey,  my  lady  queen  ?' ' 

"Ay,  the  rope's  end  with  a  loop  in  it !"  retorted  the 
crone  with  a  shrill,  quavering  cackle  of  laughter. 
"You  will  make  a  pretty  gallow's  bird  one  day,  lad. 
How  you  flop  about,  and  gasp  and  struggle — I  see  it 
now  as  plainly  as  I  see  the  fire  here.  You  are  strong 
and  young,  and  die  hard — hard  !  As  for  me — an  old 
woman,  as  you  say — I've  had  my  day,  and  I  no  more 
fear  death  than  I  fear  you  ! ' ' 

' '  You  lie  ! "  growled  the  man  ;  ' '  you  fear  death  and 
you  fear  me. ' '  And  seizing  her  by  the  throat  he  flashed 
a  bright  knife  over  her  head. 

"Coward!"  cried  Baillot,  springing  forward. 
"  Would  you  murder  a  woman  ?' ' 

The  fellow  dropped  his  knife  and  turned  slowly 
about.  "And  who  may  you  be,  my  fine  gentleman, 
that  you  meddle  in  what  concerns  you  not  ?  I  have  a 
mind  to  try  my  blade  in  another  quarter  !" 

"Put  up  your  knife,  Bill,"  commanded  the  old 
woman,  who  was  still  smoking  her  pipe,  apparently 
quite  unmoved  by  all  that  had  passed.  "You  have 
been  in  the  water,  sir, ' '  she  continued,  fixing  her  ferret- 
like  gaze  on  the  young  man's  dripping  garments. 

"That  is  true,  mother,"  replied  Baillot;  "  will  you 
give  me  some  dry  clothes  and  a  seat  at  your  fire  ?' ' 

1 20 


THE  ESCAPE 

The  hag  ran  her  curious  eyes  over  his  clothing. 
' '  Ay,  velvet  and  lace  and  satin — yet  he  asks  for  clothes 
from  poor  wandering  gipsies  !"  she  muttered.  "Now 
where  might  the  bonny  coat  be  that  belongs  with  that 
gay  suit,  my  lord  ?' ' 

"Never  you  mind  that,  mother;  but  give  me  a  suit 
of  fustian  like  the  one  this  young  man  is  wearing,  and 
these  shall  be  yours. ' ' 

"Ay,  give  him  some  clothes,  Bill.  A  fair  exchange 
is  no  robbery. ' '  She  added  a  few  words  in  the  gipsy 
dialect  to  the  young  fellow,  who  had  sulkily  arisen  to  do 
her  bidding. 

A  few  minutes  served  to  transform  a  very  sorry  gal- 
lant into  a  sufficiently  common-place  laboring  man. 
And  in  this  guise  Baillot  presently  returned  to  the  fire, 
closely  followed  by  the  young  gipsy.  "  I  have  travelled 
far,  and  am  weary, ' '  he  said,  as  he  threw  himself  down 
at  the  fireside.  The  old  woman  had  shaken  the  ashes 
out  of  her  pipe  and  was  sitting  motionless  staring  at  the 
darting  flames.  "I  shall  sleep  till  day -break,"  he 
added,  hoping  that  the  gipsies  would  follow  his  example 
and  thus  afford  him  an  opportunity  of  slipping  away  un- 
observed. 

The  old  woman  paid  no  heed,  but  went  on  muttering 
and  mumbling  to  herself.  Suddenly,  however,  she 
broke  out  in  a  high  quavering  voice  :  "I  see  gold  in 
the  fire — much  gold,  and  it  has  to  do  with  this  bonny 
gentleman  ;  ay,  lad,  it  was  a  happy  hour  for  us  when 
he  strayed  into  the  light  of  our  fire  like  a  wandering 
night  moth.  I  see  a  great  ship  with  the  fine  gentleman 
on  its  deck.  I  see  many  great  folk  standing  about  him. 
I  see  him — but  now  it  grows  dark,  and  out  of  the  dark- 
ness he  comes  to  us  with  the  salt  brine  dripping  from 

121 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

his  fine  clothes."  Then  she  burst  into  a  fit  of  her 
cackling  laughter,  and  prodded  the  young  gipsy  in  the 
side  with  a  skinny  fore-finger. 

"  You  are  merry,  mother,"  said  Baillot  as  the  eldritch 
laughter  died  away. 

"  Merry — merry?  Yes,  my  fine  gentleman,  and  well 
I  may  be.  They  are  mistaken,  though — a  pretty  jest ! 
I  could  have  told  them  better  ! ' ' 

Baillot  made  no  further  remark ;  he  was  inwardly 
cursing  himself  for  his  folly  in  interfering.  "The  old 
hag,"  he  reflected  unhappily,  "would  have  been  well 
out  of  the  way — even  had  this  young  worthy  carried 
out  his  threat — and  I  should  have  been  many  miles 
away. ' ' 

"You  could  not  have  gotten  far,"  quoth  the  gipsy, 
wagging  her  head;  "but  Bill  would  never  have  hurt 
me;  'tis  just  his  little  playful  way.  Ay,  my  fine 
gentleman, ' '  she  continued,  sucking  away  at  her  pipe, 
"you  wonder  because  I  can  read  your  thoughts — your 
thoughts  and  the  thoughts  of  many  others  as  well.  A 
hundred  years  have  not  passed  over  this  head  for  naught. 
I  live  in  both  worlds,  and  the  flesh  is  but  a  clumsy  cover 
for  sharp  eyes  like  mine. ' '  With  that  she  fell  to  puf- 
fing vigorously,  blowing  out  great  clouds  of  smoke,  amid 
whose  misty  wreaths  she  appeared  as  some  grotesque  and 
ugly  idol  seen  through  its  votive  incense. 

Baillot  watched  her  for  some  time  in  silence,  then 
observing  that  the  young  gipsy  had  followed  the  ex- 
ample of  the  others  and  had  fallen  fast  asleep,  he  also 
lay  down,  pillowing  his  head  upon  his  arm.  About  an 
hour  passed  in  this  manner,  the  woman  smoking,  the 
men  snoring  loudly,  and  the  crackle  of  the  fire  dying 
away  to  a  low  purring  sound.  At  length  the  old  gipsy 

122 


THE  ESCAPE 

arose,  and  taking  a  knife  from  her  belt  stealthily  ap- 
proached the  young  Huguenot.  He  was  on  the  point 
of  springing  to  his  feet,  but  on  second  thought  he  re- 
mained motionless,  breathing  gently  and  regularly. 
The  hag  leant  over  him,  approaching  her  knife  within 
a  hair's  breadth  of  his  naked  throat.  "Ay,  he  sleeps," 
she  muttered  softly,  ' '  sleeps  like  the  dead  ;  so  much  the 
better. ' ' 

She  turned  and  crept  away  in  the  direction  of  the 
wagons.  Baillot  watched  her  till  she  was  well  out  of 
sight,  then  he  crawled  noiselessly  into  the  black  shadow 
of  a  thicket  behind  him.  For  some  minutes  he  stole 
along  hardly  daring  to  breathe,  then  hearing  the  sound 
of  barking  dogs,  and  the  high  quavering  tones  of  the 
old  gipsy  he  broke  into  a  run,  which  to  his  great  relief 
soon  brought  him  to  a  high-road,  stretching  dusty  and 
dim  between  the  dark  hedgerows  on  either  side. 

"I've  made  a  pretty  mess  of  the  night's  adven- 
ture so  far,"  he  muttered.  "What  if  I  drop  anchor 
till  daybreak,  when  I  can  look  about."  And  spying 
presently  the  irregular  outlines  of  a  group  of  farm- 
buildings  somewhat  back  from  the  road,  he  slipped 
through  the  hedge  and  was  soon  snugly  ensconced  in 
the  shelter  of  a  great  rick. 

"Not  so  much  of  a  mess  after  all,"  he  reflected,  as 
he  leaned  back  comfortably  in  the  warm  straw.  ' '  I 
am  free ;  I  have  a  capital  disguise.  I  shall  have  no 
trouble  in  getting  aboard  a  ship  to-morrow,  and  then — " 
And  then — he  plunged  into  the  bottomless  abysses  of 
sleep,  giving  his  uncertain  future  not  a  single  thought 
till  he  was  aroused  some  hours  later  by  a  rough  hand  at 
his  rustic  pillow. 

123 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE   PINES 

LIFE  on  the  island  had  settled  down  into  a  peaceful 
monotony.  Nothing  further  occurred  to  alarm  the  oc- 
cupants of  the  little  cottage,  whose  days  passed  quietly 
in  the  performance  of  the  varied  duties  which  existence 
imposes  on  all  human  beings,  in  a  degree  varying  with 
the  amount  of  their  so-called  civilization.  With  our 
islanders  there  was  the  usual  routine  of  housework, 
cooking,  cleaning,  washing  and  ironing,  gardening  and 
the  care  of  the  various  domestic  animals  and  fowls  that 
soon  gathered  about  them.  To  the  share  of  Winters 
fell  the  garden  and  the  cows,  while  Madeline  was 
delighted  to  feed  the  pigeons  and  poultry,  which  in 
their  turn  contributed  largely  to  the  comfort  of  the  table. 
Cato  was  "  the  chief  cook  and  bottle-washer,"  and  early 
and  late  was  to  be  found  devising  delectable  dishes  for 
the  ladies.  On  the  shoulders  of  Madame  de  Langres 
had  fallen  quite  naturally  the  mantle  of  general  director 
of  all  affairs  both  within  and  without,  and  so  discreetly 
did  she  manage  her  little  kingdom  that  a  most  delect- 
able peace  reigned  therein. 

As  the  days  passed  the  inhabitants  of  the  island  gradu- 
ally lost  all  fear  of  their  surroundings.  They  almost 
ceased  to  speculate  on  the  strangeness  of  the  place,  and 
settled  down  to  a  comfortable  enjoyment  and  appre- 
ciation of  its  advantages.  Though  the  castle  had  been 
abandoned  as  a  place  of  residence,  scarcely  a  day  passed 

124 


THE  PINES 

that  some  member  of  the  family  did  not  visit  it.  Now 
it  was  Madame  de  Langres  and  Madeline  who  must 
needs  make  the  rounds  of  the  gardens  and  libraries,  to 
return  laden  with  books  and  flowers ;  now  Cato  and 
Winters,  who  explored  the  vast  cellars  and  storehouses 
in  search  of  fresh  dainties  for  the  table. 

The  old  sailor  moreover  had  occupations  of  his  own, 
which  he  talked  little  about,  but  which  evidently  cost 
him  much  time  and  thought.  Madeline  came  upon 
him  one  evening  as  he  sat  in  the  little  garden  of  the 
cottage,  surveying  with  pride  the  neat  rows  of  vegetables 
and  smoking  a  short  black  pipe. 

' '  Who  would  think, ' '  she  said  glancing  about  her  at 
the  peaceful  homely  scene,  "that  we  were  many  thou- 
sands of  miles  from  home,  and  indeed  from  any  human 
habitation.  One  might  suppose  that  behind  that 
group  of  trees  nestled  other  cottages  as  pretty  and 
homelike  as  this,  that  up  the  path  yonder  might  come 
at  any  moment  a  group  of  laughing  children.  How 
very  delightful  it  would  be  to  live  always  in  this  peace- 
ful spot,  far  from  wars  and  persecutions,  if  only — ' ' 

"Then  you  are  lonesome,  miss,"  interrupted  Win- 
ters, removing  the  pipe  from  his  mouth,  and  ramming 
down  its  glowing  contents  with  a  horny  fore-finger. 
"You  are  lonesome,  and  would  like  to  get  away  from 
our  island.  Wall,  thar's  the  ship."  And  he  fell  to 
smoking  with  renewed  vigor. 

' '  I  did  not  see  the  yacht  this  afternoon  when  we 
were  at  the  castle, ' '  observed  Madeline ;  ' '  both  mother 
and  I  noticed  and  remarked  its  absence  from  its  moor- 
ings ;  where  is  it  ?' ' 

"Whar  is  it?"  chuckled  the  old  man, — "whar  is 
it?  Who  supposed  you'd  care?  Jes'  walk  a  bit  an' 
125 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

see  if  we  can  find  her ;    mebbe  she's  slipped  her  cables 
agin  an'  run  away  ;    she's  a  ticklish  beauty." 

Full  of  curiosity  at  the  old  sailor's  mysterious  air, 
the  young  girl  accompanied  him  towards  the  shore  of 
the  lagoon.  Near  the  pier  was  moored  the  small  row- 
boat,  used  by  Winters  in  his  fishing  and  exploring  ex- 
peditions, upon  which  he  was  often  accompanied  by 
Madeline ;  but  the  yacht  was  nowhere  to  be  seen. 

"Where  can  it  be?"  she  asked  in  a  tone  of  con- 
sternation. "  Do  you  not  know?"  turning  to  Winters. 

"Look  sharp,  miss,"  said  the  old  man  with  a  tri- 
umphant chuckle,  "she  ain't  far  from  here.  Your 
eyes  are  as  good  as  most,  if  you  can' t  see  her,  I  guess 
she's  safe  enough." 

The  young  girl  looked  wonderingly  about.  ' '  I  can 
see  nothing, ' '  she  said  at  length,  ' '  and  yet  you  say  she 
is  near. ' ' 

"  Wall,  I  reckon  I'll  have  to  tell  ye  then,"  said  Win- 
ters, a  gratified  grin  overspreading  his  mahogany  feat- 
ures. "  You  see,  'twas  this  way,  miss,  I  got  to  figurin' 
as  how  some  rascals  cut  her  hawser  once  :  an'  she  slipped 
off  to  sea — that's  the  time  we  found  her,  you'll  remem- 
ber, jest  as  we  was  on  the  p'int  of  founderin'  in  that 
blowed  cockle-shell  of  a  boat.  All  right  it  was  that 
time  and  mighty  convenient  for  us.  I  reckon  the 
A' mighty  put  the  idee  into  the  head  of  the  scoundrel 
as  done  it — though  it  allers  struck  me  as  mighty  cur' us 
how  willin'  we  be  to  lay  things  to  the  A' mighty  when 
they  turn  out  to  suit  us — and  contrariwise.  Wall,  as  I 
say,  I  was  figurin'  the  thing  out  to  myself,  and  I  says 
to  myself,  folks  hev  visited  this  'ere  island  twice  within 
— say  two  months,  once  to  carry  off  the  folks  as  was 
here  afore  us,  and  once  to  carry  off  poor  Baillot. ' ' 

126 


THE  PINES 

The  young  girl  visibly  winced  at  this,  and  Winters 
noticing  the  change  in  her  expression,  continued 
craftily,  ' '  I  say  poor  Baillot,  but  Lord  love  ye,  miss,  I 
'xpect  it'll  prove  a  mighty  lucky  thing  for  the  'hull  of 
us — his  takin'  off.  He's  nobody's  fool,  is  young  Bail- 
lot,  and  if  he  don't  get  clear  of  whoever  nabbed  him, 
I'm  mighty  mistaken.  I'm  expectin'  him  back  most 
any  day  now.  He's  jest  as  true  as  steel,  and  I'll  bet 
has  spent  more  hours  thinkin'  about  us  than  you  could 
rightly  figure,  miss,  however  smart  you  be. ' ' 

"Do  you  really  think  so?"  cried  Madeline,  a  deli- 
cious blush  rising  to  her  cheek. 

"Think  so!"  cried  the  old  sailor  gallantly.  "No- 
body as  ever  clapped  their  eyes  onto  you  is  going  to 
forgit  you  in  a  hurry — and  the  rest  of  us  '11  come  in  for 
a  share  on  it,  as  long  as  we're  in  the  same  spot  of 
earth. ' ' 

"  But  you  were  telling  me  about  the  yacht,"  said  the 
young  girl  demurely. 

' '  Ay,  so  I  was ;  as  I  say,  I  thought  to  myself  that 
mebbe  we'd  have  some  more  visitors  of  the  same  sort, 
as  'ud  think  best  to  carry  off  or  burn  up  our  little 
beauty — an'  we  may  have  a  use  for  her  yet.  So  I  made 
up  my  mind  to  put  her  out  of  harm's  way.  One  day  I 
was  pokin'  round  in  the  boat,  and  I  come  acrost  a  little 
creek,  as  runs  into  the  lagoon  just  beyond  that  bunch 
of  trees  thar;  it  didn't  take  me  long  to  find  that  thar 
was  water  enough  to  hold  the  yacht.  So  I  fastens  back 
the  trees  on  either  side — being  mighty  careful  not  to 
break  'em,  and  after  a  deal  of  tuggin',  I  pokes  my  lady 
into  her  new  quarters — jest  got  her  in  and  that's  all ; 
back  flies  the  trees,  and  she's  completely  hid,  all  but 
her  tops.  That  puzzled  me  for  a  spell ;  but  arter  a 

127 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

while  I  figured  that  out  too ;  I  found  a  pot  of  green 
paint  in  one  of  the  huts  below  us,  up  I  goes  and  paints 
the  tops  of  her  masts  a  good  green  color,  then  I  cuts 
some  evergreen  branches  and  fastens  "em  on,  and  what 
do  we  see  now,  the  masts  of  a  ship  ?  Naw,  by  thunder, 
nothin'  but  a  lot  of  trees.  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?' ' 

"I  think  it's  wonderful,"  exclaimed  Madeline; 
"even  now  I  cannot  guess  where  she  lies." 

"  Right  over  in  thar.  Thar's  a  light  tree,  then  some 
evergreens,  do  ye  see  ?  The  evergreens  is  the  tops  of 
our  ship. ' ' 

"But  the  branches  will  wither,"  objected  Madeline. 

"  Pines  don't  wither,  miss.  They'll  drop  off  mebbe, 
then  the  evergreen  '11  be  dead — nothin'  strange  or 
startlin'  'bout  a  dead  evergreen,  hey  ?  I've  got  another 
scheme  too,  't  I'm  figurin'  on.  I'm  goin'  to  work  on 
it  to-morrow.  We're  a  needin'  a  lookout.  An'  I'm 
goin'  to  make  one,  as  '  11  be  a  lookout. ' ' 

Not  many  rods  from  the  cottage  stood  a  group  of 
giant  pine  trees,  and  here  it  was  that  Winters  proposed 
constructing  the  lookout,  or  crow's  nest,  as  he  called  it. 
Pressing  Cato  into  the  service,  he  conveyed  to  the  foot 
of  the  trees  a  quantity  of  boards  and  light  timbers,  as 
well  as  a  liberal  supply  of  rope  for  the  necessary  tackle, 
and  here  for  several  days  he  labored  incessantly,  scarcely 
taking  time  to  eat. 

"  This  'ere  contrivance  is  goin'  to  be  the  finest  crow's 
nest  as  was  ever  constructed  by  man  or  fowl,"  he  re- 
marked one  evening  to  Madame  de  Langres  after  a  hard 
day's  work  in  the  tree  tops.  "I'm  goin'  to  have  a 
rope-ladder  from  the  ground  to  whar  the  branches  begin 
— a  good  strong  one,  fastened  taut  at  top  and  bottom  ; 
you  women-folks  must  learn  to  go  up  it. ' ' 
128 


THE  PINES 

"I  fear  that  would  not  be  an  easy  matter  for  us  to 
accomplish,"  remarked  the  lady  with  an  indulgent 
smile.  "For  my  part  I  am  quite  willing  to  entrust  all 
such  matters  to  you  ;  my  poor  eyes  would  be  of  little 
use  in  spying  out  ships. ' ' 

Winters  scratched  his  head  meditatively.  "You'll 
hev  to  turn  your  petticoats  up,"  he  said,  a  quizzical 
twinkle  in  his  eye.  "  I  suppose  it  ain't  for  me  to  say, 
but  I  ain't  never  been  able  to  see  why  any  creatur' 
of  God's  make  with  two  good  legs  should  be  trussed  up 
in  such  all-fired  onhandy  riggin'.  Come  a  shipwreck 
or  a  fire,  it's  as  much  as  you  can  do  to  save  the  women- 
folks— and  why  ?  Their  petticoats  is  in  the  way.  Ye 
can't  run,  ye  can't  climb,  ye  can't  scarcely  walk,  and 
all  on  account  of  your  consarned  petticoats  !" 

Madame  de  Langres  looked  slightly  scandalized  at 
this  speech  ;  but  Madeline  laughed  heartily. 

"I'll  engage  to  clamber  into  your  crow's  nest,"  she 
said,  "  in  spite  of  my  petticoats.  But  tell  us,  why  do 
you  wish  us  to  go  up  there  ?' ' 

"Wall,"  said  the  old  man  cautiously,  "in  the  first 
place  I  want  ye  to  see  what  I've  been  doin'  up  thar.  I 
reckon  you'll  be  surprised  ;  I've  got  the  neatest  little 
place  you'd  want  to  see.  Then  ag'in  it  might  come  in 
handy  to  have  a  place  of  that  kind  if  we  was  to  have 
company  of  the  wrong  sort  some  day.  When  we  git  up 
to  whar  the  stairway  begins,  we  jest  draw  the  rope-ladder 
up  out  of  sight,  and  thar  we  be  as  snug  as  the  ship 
yonder. ' ' 

"  But  I  can  see  the  timber  shining  through  the 
branches,"  objected  Madeline. 

"You  won't  see  it  when   I  git  it  painted  and  fixed; 
I'm  goin'  to  rig  her  out  same  way  I  did  the  ship." 
9  129 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Two  days  later  he  announced  triumphantly  that  the 
job  was  finished,  and  invited  the  family  out  to  inspect 
the  airy  retreat. 

"  I  fear  that  I  shall  never  be  able  to  go  up  that  lad- 
der," said  Madame  de  Langres,  eyeing  the  frail-looking 
structure  of  rope  with  manifest  disfavor. 

"I  hope  you'll  try,  ma'am.  It  ain't  so  resky  as  it 
looks.  Will  you  go  up,  miss  ?' ' 

Madeline  was  already  tucking  up  her  gown. 

' '  Indeed,  yes, ' '  she  said  stoutly,  ' '  I  am  going  up  ; 
the  view  from  the  top  must  be  superb." 

"I'll  go  ahead,"  said  Winters,  running  up  the  sway- 
ing ladder  with  cat-like  ease  and  agility. 

"It  wriggles  so!"  cried  Madeline,  pausing  on  the 
third  round  and  looking  down  at  her  mother  with  a 
nervous  laugh. 

"That  won't  hurt  ye  !"  bawled  Winters  from  above. 
"Ye  can't  fall  ef  you  only  hang  on  !  Don't  stop  to 
think  about  it!" 

Thus  encouraged  the  young  girl  kept  bravely  on  till 
at  length  she  had  reached  the  spot  where  Winters 
awaited  her,  and  where  the  wooden  ladder,  which  he 
dignified  with  the  name  of  stairway,  began.  This  was 
furnished  with  a  pair  of  side  rails,  and  certainly  pre- 
sented fewer  difficulties  to  the  novice  than  the  more 
primitive  mode  of  ascent  below.  By  means  of  this  stair- 
way the  two  mounted  in  a  narrow  spiral  to  a  curious- 
looking  structure  in  the  branches. 

"Are  you  sure  it  is  safe?"  asked  Madeline  in  a  voice 
which  trembled  slightly,  as  they  emerged  upon  a  toler- 
ably broad  platform  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  a  stout 
railing. 

"  Safe  ?' '  echoed  the  sailor.  "  It's  as  safe  as  a  ship  ! 
130 


THE  PINES 

— a  ship  in  her  docks,  I  s'pose  I  must  say  for  you,  miss. 
But  I've  anchored  them  timbers  so  they'll  stay  as  long 
as  the  tree  holds  together — mebbe  longer.  Take  the 
glass,  miss,  you  can  see  miles  an'  miles  in  every  direc- 
tion. Here's  cupboards  whar  we  can  stow  victuals 
enough  to  last  a  week.  Here's  curtains  of  canvas 
painted  green  to  let  down  in  foul  weather.  Yonder 
we'll  sling  a  couple  of  hammocks.  Thar's  room  enough 
for  the  'hull  of  us;  and  I'd  like  to  see  the  man  as'ud 
find  hide  or  hair  of  us  once  safely  stowed  up  here  !" 

Madeline  admired  everything  to  his  heart's  content, 
and  indeed  it  was  an  achievement  to  be  proud  of,  and 
would  certainly  form  a  well-nigh  perfect  retreat  in  case 
of  danger. 

"The  only  thing  to  look  out  for  'ud  be  noise,"  re- 
marked the  old  man  thoughtfully.  "We'd  have  to  be 
as  quiet  as  a  ship  in  a  calm  if  there  was  mischief  abroad, 
for  a  couple  of  stout  axes  at  work  below  would  tumble 
our  nest  to  the  ground  faster  than  we'd  care  to  come  as 
was  in  it." 

Madeline  shuddered  at  the  thought.  "What  about 
wind  ?' '  she  asked  rather  faintly. 

"Wind?"  said  the  old  sailor,  thoughtfully  expecto- 
rating over  the  railing  and  giving  his  trousers  an  extra 
hitch.  "Wall,  miss,  I  don't  reckon  as  anything  short 
of  a  hurricane  'ud  do  us  much  damage.  We've  got  to 
take  our  chances,  same  as  in  anything.  These  'ere 
trees  have  stood  here  for  quite  a  spell,  I  reckon." 

"  How  perfectly  we  can  see  the  chateau,"  said  Mad- 
eline, "and  the  cottage — such  a  speck  of  a  thing,  and 
the  whole  island  like  a  tiny  fragment  torn  off  the  skirts 
of  a  continent  and  set  afloat  on  the  ocean.  This  is  like 
being  a  bird. ' ' 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  All  but  the  wings,  miss,"  said  the  old  man.  "  I'd 
give  a  good  year  off  my  life  for  the  wings  of  an  alba- 
tross for  jest  one  day;  I'd  soon  know  whar  we  was. 
But  if  I'm  not  mightily  mistaken  thar's  a  sail  yonder  !" 

"  A  sail  ?  I  see  nothing — ah,  suppose  you  were  right, 
and  that  this  should  prove  to  be  our  brave  friend  in 
search  of  us!" 


132 


CHAPTER  XVII 

IN    THE    CROW'S    NEST 

WINTERS  was  silent  for  a  moment.  Then  he  slapped 
his  leg  violently. 

"  Thar's  no  doubt  of  it,"  he  exclaimed.  "  That's  a 
sail !  Now  we  must  be  movin'  lively,  for  thar's  a  deal 
to  do  afore  we're  ready  for  company."  And  with  that 
he  began  a  rapid  descent.  ' '  Best  come  down  to  your 
ma ! "  he  shouted  back  to  Madeline,  who  was  still 
trying  to  discover  the  sail  on  the  dazzling  rim  of  the 
horizon. 

The  young  girl  accomplished  the  descent  without  dif- 
ficulty, and  found  her  mother  anxiously  awaiting  her  at 
the  foot  of  the  tree. 

' '  I  am  relieved,  my  child,  to  see  you  once  more  on 
terra  firma  without  an  accident,"  she  said.  "  I  should 
try  and  be  satisfied  with  this  one  experiment,  since  it  is 
surely  a  most  hazardous  one. ' ' 

"It  is  not  so  difficult  as  you  imagine,  mother,"  re- 
plied the  girl.  "  And  if  we  are  to  carry  out  the  plans 
of  our  good  Winters,  you  may  shortly  be  forced  to 
make  the  experiment  yourself;  he  declares  there  is  a 
sail  in  sight. ' ' 

"A  sail?  How  very  fortunate!  Why  should  we 
conceal  ourselves  from  our  rescuers,  pray?  On  the 
contrary,  why  not  attempt  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
vessel  with  a  signal  or  beacon  ?' ' 

Winters  emerging  from  the  cottage  red-faced  and 
133 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

panting,  loaded  down  with  baskets  and  bundles,  chanced 
to  hear  this  question.  He  threw  down  his  armful  of 
stuff  upon  the  ground  and  exclaimed  somewhat  roughly  : 

"  Thar's  no  time  to  argufy  the  question,  ma'am  ;  but 
it's  as  plain  as  a  marlinspike,  that  if  yonder  ship's  crew 
are  good  harmless  folk  we  can  soon  find  it  out  by  their 
actions.  But  thar's  a  deal  too  many  pirates  and  bloody 
men  of  the  like  on  the  seas  to  resk  givin'  ourselves 
away.  We'll  lay  low — or  ruther  high,  till  we're  sure. 
You  women -folks  git  together  what  traps  you' re  likely  to 
want  for  a  couple  of  days  or  so  an'  fetch  'em  out  here 
lively.  Cato,  douse  your  fire,  an'  hide  anything  that 
looks  too  new  about  your  diggin's.  They'll  suspect 
thar's  folks  here  by  lots  of  signs,  best  we  can  do,  but 
if  they  can't  lay  their  hands  on  us  we  shan't  care." 

"  It  seems  to  me,  sir,"  said  Madame  de  Langres  with 
dignity,  ' '  that  this  is  a  very  curious  idea  of  yours ; 
most  shipwrecked  people  welcome  with  joy  any  passing 
vessel.  I  do  not  like  the  idea  of  concealing  ourselves 
in  the  way  you  suggest. ' ' 

"Don't  git  me  mad,  ma'am!"  said  the  old  sailor 
solemnly,  "  I'm  a  howlin'  terror  when  I'm  mad.  I'm 
willin'  to  slave  for  you  women-folks  till  my  fingers  is 
wore  through  to  the  bone,  and  you  can  hev  your  own 
way  about  most  everything ;  but  I  tell  ye,  that  you 
must  git  up  into  this  'ere  crow's  nest,  an'  wait  till  I 
give  the  sign  that  all's  right  and  ship-shape  !" 

"Do  not  cross  him,"  whispered  Madeline,  pressing 
her  mother's  hand ;  "it  cannot  harm  us  to  do  as  he 
suggests,  and  perhaps  we  shall  be  very  glad  if  we  do. ' ' 

' '  But  the  ladder,  daughter.     I  can  never — ' ' 

"Ay,  that's  what's  the  matter!"  chuckled  Winters, 
who  had  just  returned  with  another  load.  "I'll  tell  ye 


IN  THE  CROW'S  NEST 

what,  ma'am,  I'm  goin'  to  rig  up  a  tackle  to  haul  up 
these  'ere  things,  and  if  you  say  so  I  can  take  you  up 
as  neat  as  a  pin  ! ' ' 

"  Oh,  dear  no,"  exclaimed  Madame  de  Langres  ner- 
vously. "  I  could  never  think  of  such  a  thing.  When 
will  it  be  necessary  for  us  to  ascend, — in  case,"  she 
added  somewhat  severely,  ' '  you  persist  in  your  strange 
idea?" 

"I  shall  persist  like  a  trade-wind,  ma'am,"  replied 
the  old  man,  working  busily  at  his  tackle.  "  There  ain't 
no  great  hurry  'bout  your  goin'  up,  but  get  your  fixin's 
together ;  a  few  books  might  come  handy  to  pass  away 
the  time,  a  lot  of  shawls,  an'  some  pillows,  mebbe. " 

' '  Why  surely  you  do  not  apprehend  the  necessity  of 
passing  the  night  in  the  tree-tops?" 

"Wall  now,  I  can't  say  rightly  what's  a  goin'  to 
happen;  I  was  a  goin'  to  store  these  'ere  things  up 
there  in  any  case,  so  as  to  have  everything  handy ;  I 
can't  be  sure  yet  as  yonder  sail  '11  come  our  way.  She 
may  be  out  of  sight  by  the  time  I  git  up  thar  agin,  but 
thar's  no  harm  in  bein'  ready." 

Somewhat  reassured,  Madame  de  Langres  returned  to 
the  cottage,  and  began  to  collect  a  few  articles  in  leis- 
urely fashion. 

"Of  course,"  she  remarked  in  an  indulgent  tone  to 
her  daughter,  who  was  similarly  employed,  "there  is 
no  harm  whatever  in  humoring  this  strange  caprice  of 
our  good  old  friend  ;  this  crow's  nest,  as  he  calls  it,  is 
his  latest  darling  and  he  quite  naturally  wishes  to  bring 
it  into  play,  but  I  am  sure  it  is  all  very  absurd." 

"  I  trust  that  it  may  prove  so,  dearest  mother,"  said 
Madeline  gravely.  "  We  have  almost  forgotten  what  a 
strange  place  this  island  is,  so  accustomed  have  we  be- 
I3S 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

come  to  it,  but  as  Mr.  Winters  very  justly  remarked, 
strange  folks  on  strange  errands  have  been  here  of  late, 
and  a  little  caution  is  not  amiss. ' ' 

"Perhaps  so,  my  child,  and  if  it  were  not  for  that 
ladder,  I  should  not  be  opposed  to  a  few  hours  in  yon- 
der airy  retreat.  But  although  I  am  thoroughly  ashamed 
of  my  cowardice,  I  confess  that  even  the  shipwreck  did 
not  possess  such  terrors  for  me  as  does  that  bit  of  sway- 
ing rope. ' ' 

"It  isn't  so  bad  if  you  only  look  up,  and  do  not 
stop  to  think,"  said  Madeline  consolingly.  "Perhaps 
we  shall  not  have  to  go  after  all. ' ' 

"And  at  the  next  alarm  our  useful  Winters  may 
have  mounted  another  hobby,"  added  Madame  de  Lan- 
gres  comfortably. 

But  this  hope  was  not  to  be  realized  ;  the  words  were 
scarcely  out  of  her  mouth  before  the  old  sailor  thrust 
his  head  in  at  the  door  and  announced  that  the  sail 
was  clearly  visible,  and  seemed  to  be  rapidly  ap- 
proaching. 

"  All  hands  must  git  aloft  before  they  git  near  enough 
to  try  their  squinters  on  us, ' '  he  bawled  as  he  hurried 
away.  "  If  they  do  that  our  game's  up." 

Madame  de  Langres  was  a  woman  of  determination 
and  courage.  No  sooner  did  she  perceive  that  she 
must  mount  the  dreaded  rope-ladder  than  she  tucked 
up  her  petticoats  snugly  and  advanced  toward  it  in  the 
same  calm  manner  in  which  she  had  faced  the  terrors 
of  the  shipwreck. 

"  I  will  go  first,  mother,"  volunteered  Madeline.  "  I 
am  not  afraid  this  time. ' ' 

"  No,  child,  I  will  go  first  and  you  shall  see  how  nim- 
ble I  am, ' '  said  Madame  de  Langres  with  a  faint  smile. 
136 


IN  THE  CROW'S  NEST 

"Bravo,  ma'am,"  cried  Winters,  as  she  mounted 
steadily  and  firmly.  "  Thar's  sailor  blood  in  your  veins, 
I'll  bet ;  anybody  with  half  an  eye  could  see  it.  Now, 
miss,  look  lively  !  I'll  run  up  this  'ere  stuff,  then  I 
must  let  the  cows  out  of  the  barnyard,  lock  the  cottage 
door,  and  a  few  other  odd  jobs,  then  I'll  follow  ye." 

Madame  de  Langres  was  as  much  surprised  as  Made- 
line had  been  at  the  extensive  structure  in  the  pine 
trees.  Cato  was  arranging  the  stores  in  the  cupboards, 
a  dozen  inviting  books  reposed  on  the  table  and  a 
couple  of  comfortable -looking  hammocks,  woven  by  the 
sailor  at  leisure  moments,  swung  near. 

"Isn't  this  delightful!"  cried  Madeline.  "A  cot- 
tage in  the  tree -tops.  And  yonder  snowy  cloud  on 
the  horizon  is  the  ship  ! ' '  She  caught  up  the  glass  and 
studied  the  distant  vessel  attentively. 

"The  hull  has  not  yet  emerged  from  below  the  hori- 
zon, ' '  she  remarked,  handing  the  glass  to  her  mother. 

"When  it  does  they'll  be  for  studyin'  us,"  remarked 
Winters  who  had  just  approached ;  ' '  but  they'  11  not 
find  us  if  they  look  for  a  week.  I've  drawed  up  the 
ladder  and  made  everything  as  snug  as —  Hold  !  Blow 
my  buttons,  but  I've  forgot  one  thing!  I'll  jest  slip 
down  and  look  to  it — no  need  of  a  rope-ladder  for 
me."  And  the  old  man  hastily  disappeared. 

"I  wonder  what  it  was  that  he  has  forgotten,"  said 
Madeline  anxiously,  as  she  watched  his  distant  figure 
dart  away  in  the  direction  of  the  chateau. 

' '  Mabby  de  boat, ' '  remarked  Cato.  ' '  I  hope  dat 
he  gits  back  afore  dey  comes. ' ' 

' '  We  cannot  be  sure  that  any  one  will  deign  to  notice 
our  little  island,"  said  Madeline  with  a  nervous  laugh. 
"One  moment,"  she  contined,  turning  to  her  mother, 
137 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

who  was  seemingly  absorbed  in  the  prospect  without, 
"I  am  wishing  so  earnestly  that  the  ship  would  come, 
bringing  us  relief  and  a  means  of  escape  from  this  sea- 
girt dot  of  earth ;  the  next,  I  find  myself  wishing  not 
less  earnestly  that  it  would  go  away  and  leave  us  undis- 
turbed in  this  peaceful  spot." 

Madame  de  Langres  sighed.  "  I  can  well  understand 
your  feelings,  my  child,"  she  said  soberly.  "The 
future  unfolds  its  pages  all  too  slowly  for  our  eager  eyes 
at  times,  and  again  we  would  fain  push  away  from  us 
the  inexorable  hand  that  bids  us  read. ' ' 

"We's  boun'  to  have  a  picnic  supper  wiv  de  birds 
to-night  anyhow  !"  cried  Cato  gleefully,  preparing  to 
spread  the  table  with  a  snowy  cloth. 

"  I  don't  know  about  that  white  cloth,  Cato,"  said 
Madeline,  looking  at  it  doubtfully. 

"Law,  miss,  der  ain't  nobody  within  seein'  distance 
yet ;  dat  'ere  table  ain't  fit  for  yer  lady  moder."  And 
he  went  on  with  his  preparations.  Delicious  bread, 
roast  fowl,  and  an  abundance  of  fruit  and  milk,  com- 
posed the  repast. 

"Have  we  plenty  of  water?"  asked  Madame  de 
Langres  anxiously. 

"Plenty  of  eberyt'ing,"  replied  the  negro.  "We 
might  stay  a  week,  fur's  dat's  concerned.  You  tink 
dat  ol'  sailor  done  stockin'  a  ship  for  sea.  He's  been 
a  gettin'  ready  for  a  week;  when  he  wasn't  hammerin' 
up  here,  he  was  tinkerin'  away  at  boxes  and  baskets  of 
victuals.  'Bake  a  plenty  ob  bread,  Cato,'  says  he, 
'an'  bake  it  hard,  so  it'll  keep.'  He's  got  salt  fish,  an' 
salt  meat,  an'  biscuits,  an'  de  Lawd  knows  what  all. 
It  kep  him  mighty  contented  dough,  and  it  may  come 
in  handy." 

138 


IN  THE  CROW'S  NEST 

"  The  ship  is  certainly  coming  this  way,"  said  Made- 
line in  a  low  tone.  "  I  wonder  why  Mr.  Winters  does 
not  return  ?' ' 

The  wonder  deepened  into  positive  alarm  when 
several  hours  had  passed  and  the  old  sailor  was  still 
absent.  Meanwhile  the  ship  had  approached  quite  near ; 
with  the  glass  they  could  see  her  rigging  swarming  with 
seamen,  and  the  glint  of  brasswork  here  and  there  about 
her  white  decks.  Though  evidently  not  a  man-of-war, 
the  vessel  was  heavily  armed,  and  as  she  glided  slowly 
under  the  lee  of  the  island  the  watchers  in  the  tree-top 
could  distinctly  hear  the  "  Yo  !  yo  !  yo  "  of  the  sailors, 
as  they  furled  and  clewed  down  the  canvas.  Then  came 
the  rattle  and  splash  of  the  anchors,  and  later  a  boat 
loaded  with  men  shot  off  from  the  vessel's  side.  They 
were  evidently  not  strangers  to  the  spot,  for  without 
hesitation  the  steersman  made  for  the  hidden  inlet,  and 
before  many  minutes  the  watchers  caught  the  sound  of 
their  voices  from  the  direction  of  the  lagoon. 

A  rocket  fired  from  the  terrace  of  the  castle  evidently 
conveyed  instructions  to  those  on  board  the  vessel,  for 
another  boat -load  shortly  followed  the  first.  It  was  now 
growing  dusk,  and  myriads  of  twinkling  lights  in  the 
windows  of  the  chateau,  and  the  sounds  of  loud  laughter 
and  boisterous  shouts,  showed  that  a  revel  of  some  sort 
was  in  progress  there. 

"It  is  quite  evident  that  we  must  spend  the  night 
here,"  said  Madeline  to  her  mother.  "Are  you  not 
thankful  that  we  have  this  secure  retreat  ?  We  shall 
sleep  as  peacefully  as  the  birds — if  only  Mr.  Winters 
returns. ' ' 

"It  may  be  that  the  owners  of  the  castle  have  ar- 
rived," said  Madame  de  Langres  hesitatingly,  "though 
139 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

I  see  no  women  among  them.  It  is,  of  course,  possible 
that  the  castle  is  being  prepared  for  their  reception,  and 
that  they  will  disembark  to-morrow." 

"That  does  not  sound  like  it!"  exclaimed  Made- 
line, as  an  outburst  of  bacchanalian  shouts  reached  their 
ears.  "  But,  hark  !  I  think  I  hear  some  one  approach- 
ing." 

"  It  am  Winters  !"  cried  Cato  joyfully.  "  De  Lawd 
be  praised  ! ' ' 

"  Consarn  ye,  suppose  it  had  not  been  Winters!" 
growled  the  old  sailor  wrathfully  as  he  clambered  into 
view.  "  Make  another  noise  like  that  and  I'll  throw 
ye  overboard.  You've  got  to  clew  down  yer  jaw,  I  tell 
ye;  those  fellows  yonder 'ud  like  nothing  better  than 
the  rare  sport  of  a  bird's  nest  like  this  !" 

"  Where  have  you  been  ?" 

1 '  Who  are  these  people  ?' '  exclaimed  the  two  women 
in  a  breath. 

"  I  went  down  to  the  boat  to  hide  my  fishing-tackle, 
and  make  everything  look  kind  of  lonesome  and  for- 
saken along  shore ;  I  heerd  'em  comin'  afore  I  finished, 
so  I  jest  lies  low  to  take  a  squint  at  'em — I  ain't  rightly 
figured  what  they  be,"  he  continued  cautiously. 
" They're  agoin'  it  in  some  kind  of  a  furrin  tongue; 
French  mebbe,  a  kind  of  gab  I  don't  keer  much  about 
as  a  rule.  Thar  now  ! "  he  added  in  a  tone  of  deep 
contrition,  "I'd  clean  forgot  that  you  ladies  was 
French.  Not  'at  anybody' d  ever  guess  it  by  your 
looks,  or  by  the  way  the  good  English  rolls  offen  your 
tongues. ' ' 

"We  don't  mind  being  French,"  remarked  Made- 
line demurely,  "which  is  probably  fortunate  since  we 
cannot  help  it ;  but  it  is  very  handsome  of  you,  Mr. 
140 


IN  THE  CROW'S  NEST 

Winters,  to  assure  us  that  we  had  made  you  lose  sight 
of  the  damaging  fact.  But  tell  us,  did  you  succeed  in 
ascertaining  what  the  errand  of  the  ship  is  ?  Are  her 
people  the  rightful  owners  of  the  place,  and  likely  to 
remain  ?  If  so,  we  shall  be  obliged  to  discover  ourselves 
sooner  or  later. ' ' 

"  I  didn't  get  wind  of  much,"  replied  the  old  man. 
"By  the  looks  of  'em,  I  should  say  they  wa'n't  the 
folks  for  that  castle,  though  there  was  two  or  three  of 
'em  in  some  sort  of  uniform.  We'll  see  what  we  see — 
to-morrow.  I  ain't  over  and  above  sorry  myself  that 
we're  whar  we  be  ;  don't  know  how  you  feel  about  Jack 
Winters'  currus  idee  by  this  time,  ma'am." 

"lam  beginning  to  think  it  was  a  most  fortunate 
one,"  confessed  Madame  de  Langres,  to  whom  this  last 
remark  was  addressed.  "  They  seem  a  lawless  company, 
whatever  their  nationality,"  she  added,  as  a  sound  of 
breaking  glass,  followed  by  angry  shouting,  was  heard 
from  the  chateau. 

"  We  had  best  get  what  rest  we  can,"  said  Madeline, 
"and  let  the  morrow  take  care  of  the  things  of  itself. 
Mother,  let  me  make  you  comfortable  in  one  of  these 
swinging  couches ;  here  are  pillows  and  blankets — 
thanks  to  Mr.  Winters'  thoughtfulness. ' ' 

"The  other  hammock  is  yourn,  miss,"  said  Winters. 
"  Cato  and  I  will  roll  up  in  a  blanket,  and  nap  on  the 
soft  side  of  one  of  these  'ere  planks.  Tell  ye,  I  got 
this  place  ready  jest  in  the  nick  o'  time  !"  With  which 
congratulatory  reflection  the  old  man  composed  himself 
to  rest. 

Madeline  lay  for  a  time  looking  up  through  the 
branches  of  the  old  pines  at  the  stars  which  winked 
sleepily  at  her  here  and  there  from  out  the  soft  darkness 
141 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

of  the  heavens.  The  air  was  laden  with  balsamic 
fragrance,  occasionally  swept  aside  by  a  nimble  breeze 
from  off  the  ocean,  only  to  roll  back  in  languorous 
waves  of  sweetness.  The  hammock  swayed  softly,  and 
soon,  despite  the  noisy  revelry  in  the  chateau  and  the 
novelty  of  her  airy  couch,  she  fell  sound  asleep. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY 

A  SUNBEAM  which  darted  its  golden  arrow  directly 
into  her  sleeping  eyes  caused  the  young  girl  to  open 
them  without  delay  the  following  morning.  She  lay 
for  a  moment  staring,  as  she  had  done  the  night  before 
into  the  twinkling  branches  of  the  old  pine ;  directly 
above  her  head  a  red  squirrel  sat  scolding  and  chatter- 
ing in  the  branches. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here?"  he  seemed  to  say,  with 
an  indignant  flirt  of  his  bushy  tail.  "  Is  it  not  enough 
for  you  impertinent  giants  to  possess  the  earth,  without 
intruding  your  unwieldy  bulks  into  our  private  haunts  ?' ' 

Madeline  shook  her  finger  at  him  laughingly,  and  he 
turned  and  fled  to  a  higner  limb,  where  he  again  paused 
to  deliver  his  philippic  with  renewed  energy. 

"Be  you  awake,  miss?"  came  a  cautious  whisper 
from  below.  She  raised  her  head  and  looked  over  the 
side  of  the  hammock.  "  The  rascals  is  abroad  early 
this  morning ;  I'll  be  blowed  if  I  can  make  out  what 
they're  up  to.  A  couple  of  'em  passed  here  not  five 
minutes  ago ;  thar  they  be  agin  ! ' ' 

Madeline  crept  cautiously  to  the  floor.  "Where?" 
she  whispered. 

In  reply  the  old  sailor  pointed  out  the  figures  of  two 
men  who  were  strolling  along  in  leisurely  fashion  al- 
most directly  beneath.  They  were  dressed,  as  the  girl 
could  see,  in  the  uniform  of  the  French  navy,  and  for  a 
143 


PRISONERS  OF  TPIE  SEA 

moment  she  could  scarcely  repress  a  cry  of  joy  at  sight 
of  the  familiar  and  well-loved  trappings.  A  chance 
word,  however,  caused  her  to  draw  back,  though  she 
still  listened  eagerly. 

"We'll  scarce  be  able  to  finish  the  job  properly  un- 
der four  days,"  remarked  one  of  them, — "and  work 
hard  at  that.  I  say,  de  Loignac,  this  isn't  a  bad  place 
for  a  morning  smoke. ' '  And  the  speaker  flung  himself 
upon  the  ground  directly  beneath  the  trees  wherein  our 
party  of  adventurers  was  hidden. 

"We'll  take  a  look  at  yonder  cottage  when  you've 
finished,"  continued  the  speaker,  whose  words,  unin- 
telligible to  the  old  seaman,  were  distinctly  audible  to 
Madeline's  quick  ear.  "  It  hardly  seems  possible  that 
the  place  has  been  empty  so  long. ' ' 

"Not  a  bad  place,"  said  his  companion,  who  was 
puffing  busily  away  at  his  long  pipe.  "  By  Jove,  I 
shouldn't  mind  spending  my  summers  here  with  the 
right  company.  What  do  you  make  of  this  business, 
anyhow?  What's  the  need  of  making  ducks  and 
drakes  of  the  place  ?' ' 

"I  fancy  that's  of  very  little  moment  to  us,  my 
dear  fellow ;  a  close  mouth  and  blind  eyes  are  the 
thing.  You  know  what  our  orders  were — to  leave 
no  living  thing  on  the  island,  and — "  The  speaker 
leaned  forward  and  whispered  something  into  his  com- 
panion's ear. 

"Man  dieu  /"  exclaimed  the  listener.  "I  don't 
wonder  that  you  hesitated  to  profane  the  desert  air 
with  such  an  atrocity.  What  in  the  name  of  all  that  is 
hideous,  is  the  reason  for  that  ?' ' 

"They  are  all  condemned  convicts,"  replied  the 
other  coolly,  "and  a  part  of  them  slavering,  whining 
144 


IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY 

Huguenots  into  the  bargain.     I  tell  you  that  you  may 
not  be  disagreeably  surprised  later." 

The  other  smoked  in  silence  for  a  few  moments,  then 
he  broke  out  with  a  savage  oath.  "This  is  not  to  my 
liking,  de  Morney  !  Who  knows  but  that  the  Bastile 
will  forever  close  our  own  mouths  when  we  return  ?' ' 

"Who  indeed  !"  echoed  his  companion  with  a  light 
mocking  laugh.  "  Perhaps  'twere  better  not  to  return  ; 
suppose  we  settle  down  here  for  the  balance  of  our 
lives,  far  from  the  dear  delights  of  Paris  and  Versailles. 
'Twould  be  quite  as  safe  as  the  Bastile,  and  infinitely 
more  agreeable. ' ' 

"Ah  !  You  can  afford  to  jest,  you  have  friends  at 
court,  and  powerful  ones.  As  for  me —  How  do  I 
know  that  I  am  not  included  in  the  precious  arrange- 
ment you  just  mentioned?" 

"You  are  not — upon  my  soul,  you  are  not !  I  jest 
because  I  do  not  fear  anything  untoward  for  either  of 
us,  if  we  but  accomplish  the  thing  properly.  But 
come,  let  us  be  on  foot.  We  can  finish  inspecting  the 
place,  then  take  a  look  at  our  workmen. ' ' 

"I  shouldn't  mind  owning  some  of  those  tapestries 
and  paintings,  to  say  nothing  of  the  plate.  Why  man, 
some  of  the  books  alone  are  priceless  ! ' ' 

"Not  for  your  life!"  exclaimed  the  man  whom  his 
companion  had  addressed  as  de  Morney.  "You  might 
well  fear  the  Bastile  should  you  attempt  to  so  disobey 
orders. ' ' 

The  listeners,  as  may  well  be  supposed,  were  breath- 
lessly silent  during  this  conversation,  but  as  the  voices 
and  steps  of  the  two  officers  died  away,  Winters  ven- 
tured to  inquire  of  Madeline  what  had  passed. 

She  informed  him  briefly. 
10  145 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Donno  as  I'm  any  wiser  than  I  was  afore,"  he  com- 
mented, "except  for  one  thing;  it's  middlin'  sartain 
from  what  they  said,  that  it  wouldn't  be  over  an'  above 
healthy  for  any  of  us  to  show  ourselves.  Guess  we'll 
have  to  stay  here  for  a  spell  till  they  git  through  their 
little  job,  whatever  it  is. ' ' 

The  party  in  the  tree-tops  saw  no  more  of  the  new- 
comers for  several  hours,  and  the  time  passed  heavily 
enough.  Winters  especially  chafed  in  the  narrow  con- 
fines of  the  place. 

"This  is  a  mighty  slow  business,"  he  declared; 
"now  if  I  only  understood  their  tarnal  lingo,  I'd  sneak 
down  and  take  a  squint  at  "em." 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  despite  the  en- 
treaties of  the  two  women,  and  at  the  imminent  risk  of 
being  observed  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel,  he  cau- 
tiously descended  the  tree  and  stole  away  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  chateau. 

Under  cover  of  the  shrubbery,  he  advanced  to  a  point 
where  he  could  observe  the  landward  facade  of  the 
castle  with  comparative  security.  Peering  out  from  his 
leafy  screen  with  the  greatest  curiosity,  he  at  first  saw 
nothing  to  indicate  any  human  presence,  and  was  on 
the  point  of  attempting  a  bold  run  across  a  little  open 
space  to  a  clump  of  bushes  somewhat  nearer  the  building, 
when  a  gang  of  workmen  armed  with  picks  and  shovels 
came  into  view ;  they  were  followed  closely  by  a  squad 
of  armed  men,  under  whose  surveillance  they  presently 
set  to  work  with  a  will  near  the  foundation  of  the  chateau. 

After  a  deep  hole  had  been  excavated,  a  second  party 
carrying  a  number  of  small  casks  appeared  ;  these  busied 
themselves  for  some  moments  in  the  place  just  made 
vacant  by  the  men  with  the  picks  and  shovels. 
146 


IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY 

"What  in  thunder!"  muttered  Winters  to  himself, 
as  he  observed  these  proceedings.  ' '  Looks  mighty 
like  blowing  the  place  up  to  me.  Them  there  casks 
now — gunpowder,  as  I'm  a  livin'  sinner  !" 

That  the  old  sailor  was  correct  in  his  surmise  presently 
appeared.  One  of  the  men  who  had  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  bawling  out  orders  to  those  at  work,  now 
waved  his  arms  violently  and  shouted  something  in  a 
loud  voice,  which  Winters  could  not  understand,  but 
which  he  rightly  took  to  be  an  order  to  get  out  of  the 
way  of  the  impending  explosion. 

He  was  now  in  a  position  of  extreme  peril,  and  for  a 
moment  heartily  regretted  his  boldness.  The  workmen 
still  closely  shadowed  by  their  guard  were  almost  upon 
him ;  while  the  man  who  had  given  the  order  was 
manifestly  preparing  to  light  the  fuse,  which  would  start 
the  buried  gunpowder. 

To  retreat  was  impossible,  to  advance  was  equally  so. 
Hastily  scooping  out  with  both  hands  a  hollow  place  in 
the  soft  mold,  the  sailor  flung  himself  down  upon  his 
face  among  the  bushes,  worried  most  of  all  lest  some 
one  should  perceive  his  blue  shirt  through  the  green 
leaves,  and  drag  him  from  his  hiding-place.  But  work- 
men and  soldiers  had  already  retreated  to  a  safe  dis- 
tance, and  now  he  could  hear  the  rapid  footfalls  of  the 
man  who  had  remained  behind  to  light  the  fuse ;  he 
almost  stepped  on  the  prostrate  body  of  the  sailor  as  he 
pressed  through  the  bushes  in  his  haste.  A  moment  of 
silence  and  suspense  followed,  during  which  Winters 
dug  a  little  deeper  into  the  soft  earth,  burrowing  into 
it  with  closed  eyes  like  a  mole.  Then  followed  a  deaf- 
ening report.  A  shower  of  broken  fragments  spattered 
with  stinging  force  upon  the  body  of  the  old  man,  but 
147 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

fortunately  inflicted  no  serious  injuries.  Congratulating 
himself  on  his  escape,  he  was  about  to  rise  from  the 
ground,  when  a  second  explosion  followed ;  he  was 
conscious  of  a  terrible  blow  on  the  back  of  his  head ; 
then  he  knew  no  more,  but  lay  like  one  dead,  the  white 
petals  of  the  shattered  roses  half  concealing  his  motion- 
less body. 

"At  this  rate  it  will  take  us  six  months  to  blow  up 
the  place, ' '  grumbled  the  man  who  had  fired  the  fuse, 
cautiously  advancing.  ' '  A  pest  on  the  place  !  I  shall 
set  it  on  fire  now,  the  heat  will  cause  the  stone  to  be 
more  friendly  to  the  gunpowder. ' ' 

"  Twere  a  pity,  my  Gaston,  not  to  remove  a  soup f on 
of  the  valuables  first, ' '  said  one  of  the  others  who  had 
followed  him. 

"But  the  orders?" 

"  The  devil  fly  away  with  the  orders  !  Who  will  be 
the  wiser  ?  You  and  I  must  needs  look  through  the 
place  a  little,  in  order  that  we  may  select  the  best 
place  for  setting  the  fire.  Tiens  !  Our  pockets  will 
not  be  searched. ' ' 

His  comrade  replied  with  a  sly  wink,  "  I  am  not  so 
sure  of  that,  Pierre  ;  but  we  shall  see.  Call  back  those 
dogs  with  the  picks,  and  set  them  to  work  again  under 
the  tower  yonder.  Bon  dieu  !  what  is  this  ?  The  body 
of  a  man,  and  dead  as  a  stone  ;  which  now  of  the  fools 
remained  behind  when  I  gave  the  order  to  retreat ! ' ' 

"  But  this  man  is  not  one  of  the  workmen  ;  I  never 
saw  his  face  before." 

' '  del  f  You  are  mad  ;  there  has  been  no  one  here 
for  two  months.  He  has  a  nasty  cut  in  the  head. ' ' 

"  He  is  not  dead,  man,  only  stunned  by  a  bit  of  the 
flying  stone.     What  shall  we  do  with  him  ?' ' 
148 


IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY 

Gaston  removed  his  cap  and  wiped  the  perspiration 
from  his  forehead.  "Do  with  him?"  he  echoed. 
' '  Why  let  him  be  till  he  comes  to ;  then  set  him  to 
work  with  the  others. ' ' 

' '  But  I  tell  you  he  is  not  of  the  number  we  brought 
with  us." 

"What  matters  it;  they  will  all  go  the  same  road 
when  they  have  finished.  If  this  fellow  has  been  cast 
away  on  the  island,  or  if  he  sneaked  away  two  months 
since,  '  tis  all  the  same ;  there  can  be  but  one  way  out 
of  the  thing  for  him.  Let  him  earn  his  passage  into 
the  next  world. ' ' 

Winters  now  opened  his  eyes,  and  one  of  the  men 
who  were  still  staring  at  him  greeted  his  returning  con- 
sciousness with  a  careless  kick.  "  Get  up,  dog." 

"  Something  has  hit  me  !"  faltered  the  old  man,  put- 
ting his  hand  up  to  his  head  with  a  dazed  expression. 
"Oh,  but  wasn't  I  a  tarnal  fool  to  poke  my  neck  into 
this  noose  ?' ' 

"What  kind  of  talk  is  this?  Do  you  understand  his 
gibberish?"  growled  Gaston  turning  to  his  companion. 

"  He  is  speaking  English  ;  I  know  a  little. — Who  air 
you?" 

"  Who  air  I  ?  Wall,  sir,  I  air  Jack  Winters — a  dum- 
founded  idiot  with  a  crack  in  his  blamed  old  skull; 
that's  who  I  air." 

"You  shall  wark ;  get  up,  vite  !  You  hear?  Diable, 
I  hate  English  !"  he  added  testily. 

Gaston  laughed.  "  I  can  move  him,"  he  said  with  an 
oath.  "  Up  and  out  of  this,  you  crack-brained  English 
cur !  You  shall  live  just  three  days  longer  ;  then  you 
shall  have  the  distinguished  privilege  of  dying  with 
some  who  are  your  betters."  He  accompanied  his 
149 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

words — not  one  of  which  was  understood  by  the  old 
sailor — with  a  vicious  prick  of  his  rapier,  and  a  gest- 
ure in  the  direction  of  the  gang  of  workmen  who  were 
busy  at  their  labor  of  excavating. 

Winters  understood  the  prick  and  the  gesture  well 
enough  ;  and  inwardly  cursing  himself  for  his  folly,  he 
got  slowly  on  to  his  feet  and  hobbled  off  under  the 
watchful  guardianship  of  the  Frenchmen,  who  lost  no 
time  in  providing  him  with  a  pick  and  shovel.  As  he 
bent  to  his  unwelcome  task,  he  cast  a  hasty  glance  at 
his  fellow -workmen.  Most  of  them  had  the  sullen 
brutalized  faces  of  those  well-versed  in  crime  and  in- 
ured to  hardship ;  but  there  were  several,  whose  pale 
haggard  countenances  and  painfully  blistered  hands 
moved  him  to  pity.  The  guard  of  armed  marines  stood 
at  some  distance  from  the  pit  where  they  were  working, 
and  seemed  to  pay  but  scant  attention  to  anything  save 
their  own  half-whispered  conversation.  Perceiving  this, 
Winters,  under  cover  of  stooping  to  remove  a  loosened 
stone,  ventured  to  speak  to  the  man  who  was  digging 
next  him. 

"  Can  you  talk  ?' '  he  whispered  cautiously.  The  man 
to  whom  he  had  spoken  shook  the  matted  hair  from  out 
his  eyes,  and  turned  with  a  start  of  surprise. 

"Who  are  you?"  he  asked  in  excellent  English. 

"Jack  Winters,"  replied  the  old  man  succinctly. 
"  Whar  do  they  stow  you  at  night?" 

"We  slept  in  the  cellars  last  night." 

"Under  guard?" 

"  Under  guard — yes ;  but  the  guard  was  drunk." 

"  Why  didn't  you  git  then  ?" 

"Escape?  We  are  counted  night  and  morning; 
were  one  missing  that  one  would  be  hunted  down  and 
150 


IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY 

shot  like  a  rat.  But  you  are  not  of  us.  I  do  not 
remember  your  face.  How  is  it  that  you  are  here?" 

"Hist,  man!  they've  got  their  blinkers  on  us!" 
whispered  Winters. 

A  moment  later,  he  again  ventured  to  address  his 
companion.  "What  are  you  doin1  here — you  seem  a 
decent  sort,  an'  you  can  talk  English?" 

"  I  am  a  Huguenot,"  replied  the  man  bitterly  ;  "  'tis 
my  crime  to  worship  God  in  a  different  way  from  our 
holy  and  righteous  king  and  his  new  mistress. ' ' 

Winters  surveyed  the  speaker  more  narrowly.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  medium  height  and  slender  build. 
In  singular  contrast  to  his  dark  skin  and  black  hair 
shone  a  pair  of  vivid  blue  eyes.  These  eyes  had  burned 
with  a  baleful  glitter  as  he  spoke  of  the  king  and  his 
mistress,  but  they  grew  dim  with  anguish  or  fatigue  as 
he  again  bent  to  his  labor. 

"  What's  arter  this  'ere  job?" 

"Death,  for  all  I  know — or  care,"  replied  the  Hu- 
guenot dully. 

' '  Be  there  any  more  of  you  ?' '  whispered  Winters 
after  a  moment's  silence. 

"  Yes,  there  are  six  of  us.  The  two  old  men  yonder, 
and  three  who  are  working  on  the  other  side. ' ' 

Winters  said  no  more ;  the  wound  in  his  head 
throbbed  painfully,  but  to  that  he  gave  little  thought. 
He  was  revolving  a  plan  in  his  mind  whereby  he  might 
save  the  lives  of  the  six  Huguenots  as  well  as  his  own. 

"  Onrighteous  villains,"  he  muttered  under  his 
breath,  "they  have  the  audacity  to  put  an  honest 
able-bodied  seaman  to  work  with  a  gang  of  convicts ! 
Mebbe  they'll  wish  they  hadn't,  afore  they  git  through 
with  Jack  Winters.  The  low-lived  lubbers  !" 


CHAPTER    XIX 

A    CONFESSION 

"  A  BEASTLY  morning  for  shooting,  Rod  ;  we  may  as 
well  turn  back  for  breakfast.  There's  so  much  water 
in  the  air  that  the  very  dogs  have  lost  the  scent ;  look 
at  old  Balfour's  drooping  tail." 

The  speaker  was  one  of  two  young  Englishmen,  who 
were  tramping  along,  guns  in  hand,  their  dogs  at  their 
heels.  They  had  been  overtaken  by  a  dense  mist, 
which  rolled  in  wet  billowy  masses  all  about  them. 

"Suppose  we  stop  at  the  farm  for  breakfast,"  con- 
tinued the  first  speaker.  "  You  evidently  need  feeding, 
sir ;  you  are  as  glum  and  unsocial  as  the  fog  itself. 
What's  the  matter  with  you?" 

"  If  I  told  you  I  might  get  myself  into  more  trouble 
than  I  am  in  now,  and  that's  unnecessary,  heaven 
knows ! ' ' 

"Then  you  are  in  trouble,  youngster?  I  guessed  it 
the  moment  I  put  eyes  onto  you ;  you're  not  the 
same  lad  I  left  behind  me  when  I  started  on  my  last 
cruise.  Come  now,  tell  your  big  brother  all  about  it, 
and  I'll  engage  to  set  the  matter  right,  whether  it's  a 
lame  pony,  or  a  row  with  the  keeper." 

"You  evidently  think  I  am  still  an  infant,  Edward," 
replied  the  other  with  a  toss  of  his  handsome  blonde 
head.  "  What  do  I  care  for  a  lame  pony  !  As  for  the 
keepers,  let  one  of  them  dare  dictate  to  me,  I'll  lay 
him  flat,  and  teach  him  to  obey  his  betters. ' ' 
'5* 


A  CONFESSION 

"Good-morning,  good-morning  to  you,  sirs!  You 
are  out  fine  and  early ;  but  a  bad  day  for  shooting, 
sirs." 

"  You  are  right,  Reynolds.  It  bade  fair  to  be  clear 
when  we  started  out.  If  your  good  wife  can  give  us 
some  breakfast,  I  think  we'll  stop  at  the  farm  for  a 
bit." 

"Ay,  sir,  you'r  'eartily  welcome  !  My  mistress  is 
wearyin'  for  a  sight  of  you,  my  lord.  As  for  Master 
St.  Clair — 'e's  always  welcome,  God  bless  'im  !  They've 
a  'ot  time  at  the  castle,  sir,  this  morning,  I  'ear,"  con- 
tinued the  speaker,  a  burly,  red-faced  farmer. 

' '  What  has  happened  at  the  castle  ?' ' 

"Why,  sir,  a  fine  lord  from  furrin  parts — as  was 
wanted  for  somethink  himportant,  the  Lord  knows  what 
— was  a  stoppin'  at  War' am ;  he  were  lodged  in  the 
tower  chamber,  I'm  told,  and  somebody  carried  'im 
hoff  hunbeknownst  in  the  night,  sir — along  of  a  rope- 
ladder.  The  villains  tied  up  the  serving -man  'ard  and 
fast,  and  left  'im  on  the  floor." 

' '  What  is  this  you  are  saying  ?' '  exclaimed  the  elder 
of  the  two  young  men,  who  was  no  other  than  our 
friend  St.  Clair.  "He  has  escaped  then?" 

' '  Hescaped,  sir  ?  No,  sir,  not  accordin'  to  what  the 
guard  and  serving-man  say.  'Ow  could  the  poor  gen- 
tleman get  'old  of  a  rope-ladder?" 

' '  This  is  a  pretty  business,  Roderick  ! ' '  exclaimed 
St.  Clair.  "  I  must  go  at  once  to  the  castle  and  in- 
quire into  it.  Will  you  come  with  me?" 

' '  I — I — no,  Edward,  that  is — ' '  replied  the  young- 
ster turning  white  and  red  by  turns.  ' '  I  think  perhaps 
I  had  best  take  the  guns  and  dogs  home.  Don't  you 
say  so,  old  man  ?' '  with  a  desperate  attempt  to  appear 
153 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

easy  and  unconcerned,  which  however  did  not  impose 
in  the  least  on  his  keen-eyed  brother. 

' '  Reynolds  here  will  take  care  of  the  tackle, ' '  he 
said  sternly  ;  "  you  boy,  come  along  with  me  !" 

"  I — I  don't  think  I  care  to  go  up  to  the  castle  this 
morning,  Ned,"  blurted  out  the  young  fellow  in  an  in- 
jured tone.  "  You  seem  to  forget  that  I'm  not  a  mid- 
shipman under  your  orders,  sir." 

' '  Well,  my  boy,  perhaps  it  would  be  quite  as  well  if 
you  were.  I  think  I'll  speak  to  the  governor  about  the 
matter.  You've  been  into  some  mischief  or  other,  I 
know  ;  come,  out  with  it  at  once  !" 

"Upon  my  word,  I'd  like  to  tell  you,  Ned,  if  you 
wouldn't  make  sport  of  me." 

"Never  a  bit  of  it,  lad.  Don't  you  know  me  well 
enough  for  that  ?  Fire  ahead,  youngster  ! ' ' 

"I  wish  you'd  quit  calling  me  youngster  and  boy. 
Confound  it,  man,  I'll  be  twenty  in  a  fortnight." 

"Twenty?  Humph!  Well  then,  my  reverend  sir, 
proceed  ! ' ' 

"You're  making  game  of  me,"  said  the  boy  sulkily. 

"  Come  !  You're  as  difficult  as  a  woman,  or  a  baby 
a  year  old ;  speak  up  like  a  man  !  They're  spoiling  you, 
lad.  You  must  get  to  sea,  and  this  folly  '11  drop  off 
you  like  last  year's  leaves  from  yonder  oak.  But  again  I 
say,  get  at  your  yarn,  and  spin  lively,  for  we  must 
needs  get  up  to  the  castle  at  once." 

"It  would  never  have  happened  if  old  money-bags 
up  yonder  had  carried  a  decent  tongue  in  his  head," 
said  the  lad  defiantly. 

"  Whom  do  you  mean  by  old  money-bags?" 

"Why,  you  know;  haven't  you  grown  stupid  lately. 
You've  called  him  that  yourself  many  a  time  !  I  mean 
154 


A  CONFESSION 

Sir  John  Rich,  the  worshipful  governor  of  Warham 
castle,  at  your  service,  Lieutenant  St.  Clair.  Does  that 
suit  you  better  ?' ' 

"That  suits  me  better.  Go  on,"  said  St.  Clair  with 
a  grave  inclination  of  the  head. 

"There's  Helen,  you  know,"  murmured  the  lad 
hanging  his  head. 

"What,  little  Helen,  with  head  as  yellow  as  a  dan- 
delion, and  cheeks  the  color  of  a  ripe  apple?" 

"She's  lovely — she's  beautiful!  You've  no  idea, 
Ned,  how  beautiful  she  is  ! " 

"No,  I  dare  say,"  said  his  brother,  carefully  sup- 
pressing a  smile.  "And  so  you  fell  in  love  with  the 
fair  Helen  ;  and  what  followed?" 

"  I  didn't  say  so  ;  how  did  you  know  ?" 

"  How  did  I  know,  you  Zany  ?  Why  I  know  because 
I  am  so  peculiarly  clever  and  learned.  Didn't  Sir  John 
smile  on  your  youthful  affections?" 

"  He's  a  beast !"  declared  the  youth  succinctly.  "  A 
regular  old  brute.  Why  he  shut  up  that  girl  for  a  week 
because  he  saw  me  kiss  her  hand.  Told  me  to  go  home 
to  my — to  my — pap  !  Wasn't  that  nasty  of  him  ?  But 
I  was  too  smart  for  the  old  fox. ' ' 

"You've  a  positive  talent  for  invective,  Rod,"  in- 
terrupted St.  Clair,  with  an  air  of  relish.  "What  did 
you  do  to  circumvent  the  old — er — animal  ?' ' 

"Why,  I  had  a  couple  of  carrier-pigeons — bought 
'em  of  Browrig ;  regular  little  beauties,"  continued  the 
lad  enthusiastically,  "  and  with  a  few  gold  pieces  handed 
on  the  sly  to  Janet,  Helen's  maid,  we  got  those  little 
creatures  so  they  went  back  and  forth  as  regular  as  the 
clock.  But  we  got  tired  of  that  after  awhile,  so  I  made 
a  big  plan  to  carry  off  my  darling — ' ' 
155 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  What's  that,  sir  !  What  were  you  going  to  do  with 
her  after  you  carried  her  off?" 

"  Why  marry  her,  of  course.  What  do  you  suppose  ? 
Have  done  laughing  or  I  won't  go  on." 

"You'll  be  the  death  of  us  all  yet,  Rod,"  gasped 
St.  Clair,  wiping  his  eyes.  "What  a  Benedict  you 
would  make  !  Go  on,  I'm  done  now.  You  made  a 
plan—" 

" — To  carry  her  off,  as  I  said,"  said  the  boy  scowl- 
ing fiercely.  "  I  had  the  ring,  the  priest,  and  all — sent 
my  message  by  the  pigeon  as  usual.  By  Jove,  I'd  like 
to  wring  that  villain's  neck  !" 

"  What  villain?" 

' '  Why  a  great  hulking  beast  of  a  Frenchman  that  I 
found  in  her  rooms.  In  her  rooms,  sir  !  What  do  you 
think  of  that?  The  old  miser  had  moved  her  out 
just  at  the  wrong  moment,  and  lodged  the  fellow  in  her 
place. ' ' 

"  Ah,  I  begin  to  see ;  you  found  the  Frenchman  in 
the  place  of  your  lady.  And  how,  may  I  ask,  did 
you  make  your  way  into  Warham  castle,  my  young  Lo- 
thario?" 

"  By  a  rope-ladder." 

' '  Then  you  liberated  him  ?' ' 

"  Not  I ;  the  fellow  had  me  at  a  disadvantage.  You 
see  he  was  on  the  lookout  for  some  means  of  escape. 
He  got  my  message  by  the  pigeon — which,  of  course, 
homed  as  usual,  and  when  I  came  up  the  ladder — ' ' 

" — He  gave  you  a  warm  reception;  just  so,  I  can 
depict  the  scene.  He  is  a  clever  gentleman,"  put  in 
St.  Clair  quietly. 

"  Do  you  know  him  ?     Who  is  he  ?' ' 

"Not  so  fast,  boy.  So  you  were  the  means  of  his 
156 


A  CONFESSION 

escape.  Hum!  You've  been  the  undoing  of  as  pretty 
a  plan  as — well,  it  may  be  that  we  can  mend  the  matter 
still.  How  did  he  persuade  you  to  elope  with  him? 
It  must  have  been  a  sore  disappointment  to  find  such  a 
stalwart  pair  of  arms  awaiting  you  in  place  of  the  dainty 
maiden,  Helen." 

The  boy's  face  grew  dark  at  the  remembrance  of  the 
scene.  "  He  bound  me  and  gagged  me,"  he  said  bit- 
terly. "Ay,  and  laughed  at  me,  as  I  lay  helpless  at 
his  feet.  He  was  for  forcing  me  to  take  him  away  by 
boat  and  carriage,  but  just  as  he  was  penning  a  note 
to  the  governor,  somebody  came  sneaking  around  the 
door  and  he  bade  me  begone.  I  took  him  at  his  word, 
and  got  me  away  with  my  people  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible." 

"  Leaving  the  rope-ladder?" 

"Of  course;  how  else?  But  I  cut  it,  up  as  far  as 
I  could  reach ;  I  did  not  care  to  help  him  off,  the  im- 
pudent— ' ' 

"Hold,  boy! — You  would  have  done  the  prettiest 
stroke  of  business  for  yourself  possible,  had  you  hailed 
the  guard  at  once,  and  prevented  his  escape. ' ' 

"Hailed  the  guard!  How  could  I  have  explained 
the  matter?  He  himself  threatened  me  with  the 
guard!" 

"A  clever — clever  gentleman,"  repeated  St.  Clair 
thoughtfully,  "and  a  brave —  Well,  youngster,  here 
we  are  at  Warham.  Best  let  me  do  the  talking.  Your 
tale  is  sweetly  interesting,  but  it  may  be  well  to  keep  it 
to  ourselves  for  the  nonce." 

"  For  your  life,  don't  mention  my  name ;  Old  Rich 
hates  me  like  poison  already  !" 

"Tut,  boy,  there  is  nothing  against  the  alliance, 
157 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

when  you  are  of  the  proper  age.     He  would  jump  at 
me  for  a  son-in-law. ' ' 

"Yes,  you.  Very  likely!"  replied  the  boy,  in  an 
aggrieved  voice.  "  You  are  the  heir,  and  'tis  a  very  dif- 
ferent matter.  But  surely,  Ned,  you — you — ' ' 

"  I  am  not  your  rival,  boy  !  My  hand  on  it,"  said 
his  brother.  "  You  shall  have  your  Helen  all  in  good 
time.  But  no  more  of  this  rope-ladder  nonsense.  You 
must  remember  that  you  are  no  play-actor,  but  an  honest 
English  gentleman,  and  fit  mate  for  any  lady  in  the 
land." 

"  Thank  you,  Ned,  thank  you  !" 

The  two  shook  hands  in  the  hearty  fashion  of  men 
who  love  each  other,  looking  steadily  and  squarely  into 
one  another's  eyes,  as  befitted  Englishmen  and  brothers  ; 
then  without  another  word,  they  strode  up  to  the  great 
entrance  of  the  castle. 

They  were  admitted  without  delay  into  the  presence 
of  the  governor  himself.  The  little  man  was  striding 
up  and  down  his  hall,  his  face  drawn  and  wrinkled  into 
a  thousand  rueful  puckers. 

"Good  morning,  my  lord,"  he  cried.  "You  have 
heard — I  see  that  you  have  heard  !  Now  what  am  I  to 
do?" 

"  Good  morning,  Sir  John,"  returned  St.  Clair,  bow- 
ing ceremoniously.  ' '  Allow  me  to  present  my  brother, 
Roderick." 

"I  already  have  the  honor  of  the  young  man's  ac- 
quaintance," returned  the  lord  of  War  ham  with  a  frown, 
at  which  the  lad  blushed  a  furious  crimson. 

"  Ay  ?     And    you   do   not   mislike   him   then :    an 
honester  lad  never  drew  breath,  nor  a  braver.      He  joins 
me,  sir,  on  my  ship  ere  long. ' ' 
158 


A  CONFESSION 

"  That  were  well ;  Satan  has  ever  a  task  for  the  un- 
employed!" growled  Sir  John,  an  ominous  glitter  in 
his  small  deep-set  eyes. 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?  Your  speech  is  not 
over-friendly  in  its  sound." 

' '  Look  you,  the  boy  here  has  been  making  love  to 
my  daughter,  and  that  I  will  not  have;  she's  only  a 
child,  and  shall  be  mine  for  awhile  yet.  This  slaving 
and  worrying  over  a  woman-child  does  not  profit,  sir  !" 
— working  himself  up  into  a  fury — "for  no  sooner  is 
she  come  to  an  age  when  she  ceases  puling  and  whin- 
ing, than  along  comes  some  miserable  whiffet  of  a  boy, 
and  is  for  carrying  her  off.  Dawdling  and  palavering 
and  kissing  of  hands  !  I'll  have  none  of  it,  I  swear  I'll 
have  none  of  it !" 

"Of  course  not  at  present;  the  thing  is  not  to  be 
thought  of,"  said  St.  Clair  soothingly.  "  But  in  time, 
sir,  you  must  acknowledge  that  one  of  the  family  of 
Arundel  is  not  disqualified  for  an  alliance  with  your 
daughter. ' ' 

"  Humph  !  perhaps  not. — But  a  truce  to  this  talk  !  "We 
are  not  a  pair  of  match -makers.  What  think  you  of 
the  escape  of  our  prisoner  ?' ' 

"A  most  serious  mischance.  I  should  like,  if  it  be 
agreeable  to  you,  Sir  John,  to  see  the  chief  witness  in 
the  affair.  I  mean  the  valet  de  chambre,  who  has  such 
a  wondrous  story  to  tell  of  the  escape.  It  may  have 
chanced  that  the  fellow  has  suppressed  some  important 
detail." 

' '  True — true  !  By  all  means,  St.  Clair.  You  are  a 
clever  fellow,  and  it  may  be  will  squeeze  some  further 
information  out  of  the  rascal.  The  fellow  is  a  French- 
man, Bolieu,  by  name,  and  I  mistrust  me  a  deep  knave 
159 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

with  a  lying  tongue  in  his  head,  like  the  rest  of  his  con- 
founded race. — Ay,  the  fellow  may  be  at  the  root  of  the 
whole  matter.  Tell  them  to  fetch  him  at  once. ' ' 

Bolieu  presently  entered.  He  was  a  fat  man,  with 
lank  black  hair,  and  a  pale  smooth-shaven  face.  He 
shuffled  uneasily  as  he  walked,  and  looked  about  him  in 
a  furtive  way  as  does  an  animal,  unexpectedly  brought 
into  the  presence  of  a  dreaded  foe. 

"Stand  there,  villain  !"  roared  the  governor  in  a 
dreadful  voice,  whereat  the  prisoner  visibly  cringed. 
"The  right  honorable  Viscount  St.  Clair,  lieutenant  in 
his  majesty's  ship  Conqueror,  will  now  examine  you  in 
my  presence.  And  do  you  speak  the  truth,  sirrah,  or 
we  shall  presently  draw  it  from  you  to  the  tune  of  your 
own  shrieks  on  the  rack.  You  hear  me  !" 


CHAPTER    XX 

IN    PRESENCE    OF   THE   GOVERNOR 

THE  little  governor  having  thus  introduced  the  luck- 
less witness,  strode  majestically  to  his  great  chair, 
wherein  he  seated  himself  with  due  ceremony  and  de- 
liberation. 

"Now,  sir,"  he  remarked  with  an  air  of  condescen- 
sion, "  the  fellow  is  in  your  hands  ;  ask  what  questions 
you  will."  He  then  leaned  back  in  his  chair,  placed 
his  finger-tips  together  judicially  and  assumed  an  atti- 
tude of  attention  slightly  tempered  with  ennui,  as  of  a 
man  who  has  already  gone  over  the  ground  with  the  ut- 
most thoroughness,  and  therefore  expects  nothing  of 
the  slightest  interest. 

"  Will  you  tell  me,  my  good  fellow,  what  you  can  of 
this  unfortunate  affair?"  began  St.  Clair  easily.  "You 
were  sleeping  in  the  ante-room  of  his  bedchamber,  were 
you  not  ?' ' 

"I  was,  your  honor,"  replied  the  man,  shifting 
uneasily  from  one  foot  to  the  other,  "but  not  on  my 
bed ;  the  honorable  gentleman  objected  to  my  having 
my  bed  in  the  room.  It  was  therefore  removed  to 
the  corridor.  The  guard  will  tell  you  as  much." 

' '  Very  good.  Did  you  remain  in  the  room  during 
the  evening  ?' ' 

' '  No  sir — that  is — your  honor,  the  honorable  lord 
sent  me  to  the  corridor  to  wait — a  most  rheumy  and 
disagreeable  spot,  I  contracted — " 

"Confound  your  rheum,  blockhead  !"  interposed  the 
ii  161 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

governor,  with  a  stamp  of  his  foot.  "Your  health, 
sirrah,  has  not  become  a  matter  of  interest  yet.  It  may 
later — to  yourself, ' '  he  added  darkly. 

' '  Certainly,  your  excellency,  and  your  honor.  I 
humbly  crave  your  most  noble  pardons  !  I  was  only — ' ' 

"Then  you  were  not  in  the  room  during  the  even- 
ing," said  St.  Clair  impatiently.  "At  what  hour  did 
you  enter  the  chamber  to  remain  ?' ' 

"At  about  twelve  of  the  clock,  your  honor,"  re- 
plied the  man  more  briskly.  ' '  At  that  hour  the  noble 
lord  rang  the  bell,  I  entered  and  performed  my  usual 
duties.  I  then  turned  down  the  lights,  and  lay  down 
in  one  corner  upon  the  rug.  I  must  have  fallen  asleep, 
for  I  was  very  weary,  but  I  was  shortly  awakened  by  a 
slight  sound — I  am  a  very  light  sleeper — I  arose  quickly, 
and  was  on  the  point  of  calling  the  guard,  when  I  was 
seized  from  behind,  bound  and  gagged. ' ' 

' '  How  many  men  were  there  who  thus  overpowered 
you?"  questioned  St.  Clair  with  a  slight  smile. 

"Three,  your  honor,"  whined  the  witness,  "and 
monstrous  strong  men  they  were,  with  black  velvet 
masks  over  their  faces.  One  was  dressed  in  crimson 
velvet,  slashed  with  silver ;  the  others  I  did  not  see  so 
clearly." 

"You  have  a  nimble  fancy,  fellow,"  observed  St. 
Clair  meditatively.  "  Were  you  bound  when  the  alarm 
was  raised?" 

The  flunkey  turned  a  shade  paler,  and  swallowed  with 
a  visible  effort.  "  I  was  loose,  sir — I  mean,  your  noble 
honor.  I  am  a  strong  man,  and  I  worked  till  morn- 
ing to  loose  myself  that  I  might  call  assistance. ' ' 

' '  Did  you  call  the  guard  at  once  ?     I  mean  as  soon 
as  you  had  gotten  rid  of  your  gag. ' ' 
162 


IN  PRESENCE  OF  THE  GOVERNOR 

The  man  was  silent  a  moment  before  replying ;  at 
length  he  said,  "  I  loosened  my  gag,  your  noble  honor, 
then  I  called  the  guard  ;  but  my  voice  is  weak,  and  as 
I  said  before,  my  gullet  was  husky  by  reason  of  a  rheum 
caught  in  the  corridor ;  I  was  therefore  unable  to  make 
them  hear,  so — ' ' 

" — So  you  must  needs  loose  yourself,"  interrupted 
St.  Clair.  "  Now  did  you — attend  me  carefully — did 
you  find  any  writing,  or  paper  containing  a  writing 
anywhere  about  the  apartment  ?' ' 

"  Any  writing,  my  lord  !  How  could  that  be?  Your 
honor  may  be  sure  that  I  thought  of  but  one  thing 
and—" 

"Hold!  lam  inclined  to  think  that  you  thought 
of  two  things  or  three.  There  was  a  writing ;  you 
have  it.  Give  it  here  this  instant !" 

"Upon  my  sacred  honor,  my  lord,"  cried  the 
wretched  flunkey,  falling  upon  his  knees,  "  I  do  not 
know  what  you  mean.  I  swear  that  it  was  all  just  as  I 
have  said,  the  three  men  with  masks,  the — ' ' 

' '  You  are  lying,  you  rascal !  Every  second  word 
that  you  have  uttered  is  a  lie.  There  was  a  paper ;  I 
saw  it !" 

Every  eye  was  turned  upon  Roderick,  who  unable 
to  hold  his  peace  longer,  and  regardless  of  his  own  part 
in  the  story,  had  darted  forward. 

"  You  saw  it !"  exclaimed  the  little  governor,  spring- 
ing to  his  feet.  "You  saw  it !  And  what,  pray,  were 
you  doing  in  my  house  at  midnight,  sir?" 

The  young  man  turned  white,  but  he  faced  the  gov- 
ernor with  an  air  of  haughty  courage. 

' '  I  came  to  your  house  to  carry  off  your  daughter, 
sir.  I  meant  to  marry  her,  sir,  and  I  mean  to  still. 
163 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

I  love  her  and  she  loves  me.  You  may  lock  her  up 
as  hard  and  fast  as  you  please.  I  shall  find  her.  I 
shall  marry  her." 

Sir  John  Rich  stood  in  his  place  as  if  turned  to  stone. 
His  face  was  a  study.  St.  Clair  had  involuntarily 
drawn  his  sword,  but  at  the  first  words  which  the  little 
man  uttered  he  dropped  it  back  into  its  scabbard  with  a 
sigh  of  relief. 

"  And  so  you  were  going  to  carry  off  my  girl — willy- 
nilly,  hey?" 

Then  the  governor  of  Warham  astonished  everybody 
present  by  bursting  into  an  immoderate  fit  of  laughter. 

"Ha,  you  young  rascal!"  he  cried,  when  he  had 
somewhat  recovered  himself.  "I  ought  by  rights  to 
clap  you  into  my  deepest  dungeon,  there  to  cool  off 
your  hot  young  blood  at  your  leisure  !  But  by  the 
sword  of  Charlemagne,  I  like  your  spirit !  I  did  that 
very  thing  myself ;  I  did, — the  very  same  thing ;  only 
I  succeeded,  young  man,  and  carried  off  my  lady,  while 
you  were  not  so  lucky. — Ah,  now  this  puts  a  different 
look  on  our  matter  altogether — eh,  St.  Clair?  This 
scoundrel  here  has  made  us  a  fine  tale  to  cover  some 
rascality  or  disobedience  of  his  own ;  that's  evident 
enough.  Now  then  to  the  rack  with  him!"  and  he 
made  a  fierce  dive  at  the  wretched  Bolieu,  who  was 
wallowing  in  the  extremity  of  his  anguish  on  the  floor 
at  their  feet. 

"Oh,  my  lord!  oh,  my  good — my  excellent — my 
worshipful  lord  ! ' '  howled  the  prostrate  flunkey.  ' '  It 
is  true  that  I  disobeyed  orders ;  but  the  man  would  not 
have  me  in  the  room,  and  how  could  I  help  it !  Mercy, 
I  beg  of  you  noble  sirs — kind  masters,  I  will  tell  you 
everything  !  'Twas  the  strange  lord  who  bound  me — 
164 


IN  PRESENCE  OF  THE  GOVERNOR 

he  himself ;  and  there  was  a  writing  !  I  have  it  all 
safe — it  is  here  ! ' ' 

The  man  had  crawled  quite  up  to  the  great  chair 
now,  and  was  frantically  endeavoring  to  kiss  the  gov- 
ernor's hand. 

"Get  out,  you  whining,  slavering  dog!  Give  me 
the  paper,  but  keep  your  distance  !  Ah,  what  have  we 
here  !  '  To  the  governor  of  Warham  Castle,  Sir  :  I  beg 
that  you  will  pardon  me  for  taking  such  an  unceremonious 
leave  of  your  hospitable  roof.  My  private  affairs,  how- 
ever, are  at  such  a  pass  that  I  can  remain  no  longer.  I 
therefore  take  advantage  of  the  kindness  of  a  friend, 
and  shall  be  many  leagues  from  Warham  castle  before 
daylight.  That  you  are  the  dupe  of  a  monstrous  blun- 
der on  the  part  of  some  well-meaning  person,  I  do  not 
for  a  moment  doubt.  There  is  certainly  no  reason 
why  a  Huguenot  refugee  should  meet  with  such  distin- 
guished consideration  at  your  hands.  I  have  the  honor, 
sir,  to  subscribe  myself,  with  many  thanks  for  your  hos- 
pitality, HENRI  BAILLOT,  Comte  de  Lantenac,  Late 
officer  in  the  Royal  Navy  of  France.' 

"  A  monstrous  blunder — do  you  hear  that,  St.  Clair  ! 
I  begin  to  think  so.  In  short,  I  thought  so  in  the  very 
beginning.  There  are  many  things  to  confirm  that 
view  of  the  case.  * — a  Huguenot  refugee,'  " — referring 
again  to  the  letter,  which  he  had  carefully  flattened  out 
in  his  hand. — "  Now  that  could  hardly  be,  you  know  ! 
Well,  perhaps  we  had  best  defer  any  further  discussion 
of  the  matter ;  but  first,  who  is  the  friend  to  whom  he 
refers?" 

"  He  must  have  honored  me  with  the  name,  sir,"  said 
Roderick,  ' '  though  I  hardly  reciprocated  his  feelings. ' ' 

"No,  I'll  warrant  me  that  you  did  not,  my  boy! 
165 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Did  you  assist  the — ahem — the  gentleman  to  escape  by 
means  of  your  rope-ladder  and  afterwards  ?" 

"  Marry,  that  I  did  not !  Of  course,  sir,  I  could  not 
take  the  ladder  away,  for  I  must  needs  go  down  it  my- 
self, but  I  took  myself  off  as  speedily  as  possible  when 
I  got  the  opportunity." 

' '  And  how  happened  it  that  you  were  so  quiet ;  why 
did  you  not  call  the  guard  ?' ' 

Roderick  turned  red  and  white  by  turns.  "  Why,  at 
first,  sir,  he  had  me  at  a  disadvantage.  I  did  not  ex- 
pect to  find — " 

"No,  that  you  did  not,  you  young  villain!"  inter- 
rupted the  peppery  little  governor,  his  temper  rising  at 
the  thought.  "Confound  you,  and  he  got  the  better 
of  you.  Glad  of  it, — wish  he  had  choked  you  !  But 
you  were  loose  when  you  went  down  the  ladder ;  why 
did  you  not  call  the  guard  ?' ' 

Roderick  was  silent  for  a  moment,  then  he  blurted 
out.  "Why  did  I  not  call  the  guard,  sir?  Ask  your- 
self ;  would  you  have  called  the  guard  had  you  been  in 
my  place  ?' ' 

"Would  I,  had  I  been  in  your  place?  Gad,  young 
fellow,  but  I  like  your  impudence !  No,  sir,  I  would 
not !  I  should  have  skipped  down  the  ladder, — that's 
what  you  did.  Now  then,  our  prisoner  evidently  fol- 
lowed you  at  his  leisure,  after  trussing  up  our  friend 
here," — indicating  the  unfortunate  Bolieu  with  a  con- 
temptuous gesture.  "He  is  manifestly  then  at  large, 
without  a  sixpence  in  his  pocket,  in  a  strange  country 
and  on  foot.  We  shall  presently  be  able  to  lay  hands 
upon  him." 

' '  Have  you  taken  any  steps  in  that  direction,  excel- 
lency?" said  St.  Clair. 

166 


IN  PRESENCE  OF  THE  GOVERNOR 

"  Any  steps?  Well,  just  a  few,  sir.  I  have  had  two 
dozen  stout  fellows  scouring  the  country  for  miles  since 
daybreak.  'Tis  full  time  we  heard  from  some  of 
them. — Ah,  'speaking  of  the  devil,'  as  the  old  saying 
hath  it,  here  is  Browrig  now.  Have  you  any  news, 
Browrig?" 

"Sorry  news,  your  lordship!  Two  of  our  fellows, 
who  were  out  in  a  boat  examining  some  of  the  fishing 
smacks  that  lie  at  anchor  in  the  bay,  found  this  coat 
floating  on  the  water,  not  many  rods  from  the  castle 
walls.  Perchance  the  poor  gentleman  has  been  foully 
dealt  with." 

Sir  John  Rich  examined  the  dripping  garment  with 
attention.  "  Is  this  the  coat  worn  by  the  gentleman?" 
he  asked,  turning  to  St.  Clair,  " — of  a  truth  I  was  so 
taken  up  with  his  face,  and  with  a  thousand  perplexing 
thoughts  that  I  gave  but  scant  attention  to  his  attire. ' ' 

St.  Clair  looked  puzzled.  "  You  have  me  at  a  loss, 
sir,"  he  said  at  length.  "I  never  had  the  eye  that 
takes  note  of  trappings.  'Tis  a  woman's  province 
that." 

The  governor  was  silent  for  a  moment,  then  he 
brought  down  his  hand  with  a  prodigious  thwack  on  the 
broad  of  his  leg.  "  I  have  it !"  he  exclaimed.  "  My 
daughter  Helen  will  know  it.  She  saw  the  man  from 
the  window.  Call  her  to  my  presence,  Spence.  She 
will  be  with  her  maids  in  the  tapestry  chamber. ' ' 

The  man  disappeared.  In  a  few  moments  he  re- 
turned, followed  at  a  discreet  distance  by  a  severe  and 
sour-faced  dame  of  uncertain  years.  Immediately  be- 
hind this  good  lady,  with  downcast  eye  and  half- fright- 
ened air,  stepped  the  lady  Helen,  as  dainty  a  maid  as 
ever  breathed  English  air,  her  simple  robe  of  green 
167 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

silk  setting  off  the  snowy  whiteness  of  her  neck  and 
arms  as  rarely  as  does  the  leaf  of  a  lily  its  blossom. 

"Upon  my  word,  Rod,  I  can  excuse  your  folly!" 
murmured  St.  Clair,  as  his  eye  noted  the  flower-like 
beauty  of  the  girl's  face,  and  the  slender  grace  of  her 
maiden  figure.  "The  little  Helen  bids  fair  to  rival  her 
famous  namesake  of  Troy." 

He  stepped  forward  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  lady, 
but  Roderick  hung  back  somewhat  fearfully,  though 
with  a  world  of  devotion  shining  in  his  honest  brown 
eyes.  The  governor  perceived  this  and  chuckled  be- 
neath his  breath.  "How  now,  sir,"  he  cried  loudly, 
"have  you  no  greeting  for  your  old  playmate?  This 
coldness  ill  befits  a  youth  so  fiery  that  he  must  needs 
beard  the  old  fox  himself  in  his  den." 

At  this  disconcerting  remark,  Roderick  blushed  a 
furious  crimson  ;  but  he  quickly  recovered  himself,  and 
stepping  boldly  forward  exclaimed,  with  a  low  bow : 
"Most  gladly  do  I  avail  myself,  your  excellency,  of 
your  permission  to  pay  my  addresses  to  the  lady  of  my 
heart.  Since  the  ardent  desire  of  both  of  us  is  for  her 
happiness  alone,  we  shall  surely  cease,  from  this  hour, 
to  play  at  cross  purposes. '  • 

Having  delivered  himself  of  this  somewhat  theatrical 
speech,  the  young  man  sprang  to  the  side  of  the  maiden, 
and  possessing  himself  of  one  of  her  snowy  hands  began 
to  whisper  some  not  unwelcome  words  into  her  ear, 
despite  the  bristling  indignation  of  the  duenna. 

"Upon  my  word,  sir,  you  are  not  lacking  in  bold- 
ness!" quoth  the  governor,  regaling  himself  with  a 
delicate  pinch  of  snuff.  "I  did  not  send  for  you, 
child,  in  order  to  provide  you  with  a  husband  this 
morning — that  is  a  matter  which  must  be  concluded 
1 68 


IN  PRESENCE  OF  THE  GOVERNOR 

with  no  unseemly  haste,  but —  Pah,  this  snuff  would 
draw  tears  from  a  stone  image  !  Tell  me,  daughter, 
did  our  guest,  of  whom  you  caught  a  glimpse  from  the 
window  yestereen,  wear  this  coat?" 

"Yes,  father,"  replied  the  maiden,  without  a  mo- 
ment's hesitation.  "And  'twas  here  he  fastened  the 
rose  from  my  nosegay ;  here  is  a  fragment  of  the  stem 
still  sticking  fast  by  its  thorn  !" 

' '  Now  is  that  not  wonderful !  What  an  eye  hath  a 
maiden,  while  we  men  are  so  dull  and  stupid  ! — What 
argues  it,  St.  Clair,  the  finding  of  the  coat  in  the 
water?  Do  you  think  the  poor  fellow  is  dead?" 

"  Dead?"  murmured  the  maiden.  "Nay,  that  were 
a  pity  !  he  was  a  gallant  gentleman ;  how  deftly  he 
caught  at  that  falling  rose. ' ' 

"  I  do  not  think  the  man  is  dead, ' '  began  St.  Clair. 
"Perhaps—" 

He  was  interrupted  by  the  trampling  of  many  feet 
in  the  corridor  without  and  the  confused  sound  of 
voices. 

"They  have  found  him!"  cried  the  governor  joy- 
fully, springing  to  his  feet. 


169 


CHAPTER   XXI 

A    FRIEND    IN   NEED 

"YES,  my  lord,  we  have  found  him  !"  said  one  of 
the  men  who  was  grasping  the  luckless  Huguenot  by 
the  arm.  "  He  was  sleeping  in  a  rick  of  straw  near  a 
farm-house  on  the  Arundel  estate — disguised,  as  you 
see,  as  a  gipsy.  Yet  were  my  eyes  too  sharp — ' ' 

"Let  me  speak  for  myself,  fellow,"  said  Baillot, 
wrenching  himself  loose  from  his  captors  with  a  violent 
effort. 

' '  Loose  him,  varlets  ! ' '  roared  the  governor.  * '  Have 
you  no  sense  of  what  is  becoming  ? — Your  pardon,  sir, 
for  the  unmannerly  rudeness  of  my  retainers.  Our 
anxiety  for  your  safety  must  be  our  excuse.  I  fear  you 
have  suffered  much  in  your  misadventure. ' ' 

"Have  you  read,  the  letter  I  left  for  you?"  ques- 
tioned the  captive  moodily,  his  eye  wandering  about 
the  room,  and  resting  at  last  in  the  greatest  astonish- 
ment on  the  group  formed  by  St.  Clair,  Roderick,  and 
the  lady  Helen.  "  How  is  this?"  he  exclaimed ;  "  'tis 
an  ill -wind  then,  that  blows  no  good  !" 

"You  thought  I  played  you  a  scurvy  trick,  sir,  in 
cutting  the  ladder,  and  getting  away  without  you," 
quoth  the  lad  ;  ' '  yet  I  scarce  felt  beholden  to  you  after 
all  that  had  passed." 

"Ay,  you  served  me  right,  boy, — but  the  letter," 
turning  impatiently  to  the  governor. 

"We  have  read  the  letter,  monsieur,"  said  that 
worthy  solemnly.  "If  you  will  do  me  the  honor  to 
170 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED 

accompany  me  to  your  apartments,  you  shall  refresh 
yourself.  I  shall  then  be  pleased  to  talk  with  you  of 
the  matter.  Pray  rid  yourself  of  the  thought  that  you 
are  in  any  sense  a  prisoner,  but  your  presence  here  is 
indispensable  to  the  clearing  up  of  a  great  mystery." 
And  the  little  man  majestically  led  the  way  from  the 
hall.  Baillot  followed  with  a  very  bad  grace,  still 
attended  by  the  men-at-arms  to  whom  he  owed  his 
capture. 

' '  Blockhead  that  I  was  ! "  he  muttered,  as  the  door 
of  his  apartment — not  the  tower-room  of  his  adventure, 
but  a  loftier  and  more  magnificent  suite  on  the  ground 
floor — closed  on  the  retreating  figure  of  his  host.  "  I 
have  played  the  part  of  a  witless  boy  ;  I  should  have 
been  leagues  away  by  daybreak,  instead  of  yielding  to 
my  fatigue  like  a  woman." 

Yet  his  disappointment  was  not  untempered  with 
hope ;  his  letter  had  been  received,  his  declaration 
made,  and  from  the  manner  of  his  host  he  inferred,  not 
unreasonably,  that  an  impression  of  some  kind  had  been 
made.  He  observed  furthermore  that  no  guard  had 
been  posted  before  his  door,  and  that  the  windows  of 
his  drawing-room  opened  directly  upon  the  terrace. 
"  I  am  a  prisoner  no  longer,"  he  thought  with  a  thrill 
of  joy ;  curiously  enough  with  the  knowledge  he  lost 
his  desire  to  escape.  "I  will  remain,"  he  decided, 
"till  we  unravel  this  mystery,  of  which  I  for  one  am 
heartily  weary." 

He  made  haste  to  rid  himself  of  the  gipsy's  clothes, 
which  presented  but  a  sorry  appearance  in  the  broad 
light  of  day.  "When  they  have  satisfied  themselves 
that  I  am  indeed  but  a  homeless  refugee,"  quoth  he 
with  a  smile,  ' '  I  fancy  that  this  fine  wardrobe  will  be 
171 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

at  my  disposal  no  longer. — Yet  however  fine  the  trap- 
pings, if  the  pockets  be  not  plentifully  lined,  one  may 
fare  but  poorly  in  this  greedy  world,  as  I  have  already 
found  to  my  sorrow. ' ' 

A  good  breakfast  which  was  presently  brought  in, 
served  still  further  to  put  the  young  man  into  good 
humor  with  his  surroundings.  He  had  no  sooner  fin- 
ished it  than  St.  Clair  was  announced. 

"I  was  surprised  to  see  you  here,  lieutenant,"  he 
said,  rising  to  greet  his  visitor;  "you  are  then  on 
leave?" 

"Surprised,  and  not  overjoyed,  I  fancy,"  returned 
St.  Clair.  ' '  I  am  sure  that  you  reckon  me  among  the 
chief  of  your  persecutors. ' ' 

' '  I  believe  I  owe  a  somewhat  strange  and  unpleasant 
adventure  partly  to  you.  Are  you  as  averse  as  ever  to 
any  explanations  on  my  part  ?' ' 

"On  the  contrary  I  am  here  for  that  purpose,"  said 
St.  Clair  eagerly.  "Tell  me  at  once  how  you  came 
to  be  on  the  island  ?' ' 

"A  shipwrecked  party,  consisting  of  two  women  and 
three  men,  found  their  way  thither  after  the  loss  of 
their  vessel.  Destitute  of  clothing  and  of  every  ne- 
cessity of  life,  they  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the 
goods  the  gods  provided." 

"  Then  you  found  the  chateau  deserted  ?" 

"Entirely  so.  There  was  not  a  soul  on  the  island 
when  we  arrived.  May  I  ask  whom  you  expected  to 
find  there  ?' ' 

St.  Clair  apparently  did  not  hear  this  question.  He 
was  staring  hard  at  the  carpet  as  if  lost  in  thought. 
After  a  little  he  aroused  himself  to  say  : 

"Your  pardon,  monsieur,  for  leaving  your  question 
172 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED 

unanswered ;  this  you  will  grant  me  all  the  more 
readily  when  I  tell  you  that  you  are  free.  May  I  ask 
if  you  would  accept  a  commission  in  the  British  navy  ? 
There  are  a  number  of  vacancies,  and  the  gallant  officer 
to  whom  we  owe  our  latest  victory  would  prove  a  valu- 
able acquisition." 

"  I  thank  you  heartily  for  your  kind  interest  in  my 
fortunes,"  said  Baillot.  "But  there  is  that  which  I 
must  do-  before  I  think  of  my  own  future.  I  must  re- 
turn and  find  out  what  has  become  of  the  helpless  com- 
panions whom  I  was  forced  to  leave  behind. ' ' 

"And  for  that  you  will  need  funds — which  luckily 
you  will  not  lack,"  said  St.  Clair  in  a  matter-of-fact 
tone.  "  I  have  here  your  share  of  the  prize  money 
paid  to  the  crew  of  The  Conqueror  for  the  captured 
vessel. ' ' 

"  But  I  am  entitled  to  nothing,"  said  Baillot,  a  dark 
flush  rising  to  his  cheek  as  St.  Clair  placed  a  small  bag 
upon  the  table.  "  I  took  part  in  the  action  only  by 
evading  the  orders  under  which  I  was  placed.  But  may 
you  never  know  how  it  feels  to  be  shut  up  below  decks 
when  fighting  is  going  on  !" 

"  I  can  only  say  that  it  was  fortunate  for  us  that  you 
escaped  to  the  scene  of  action,"  cried  St.  Clair  heartily. 
"  And  if  you  are  not  entitled  to  a  share  of  the  money, 
no  one  is.  The  enemy  would  be  picking  the  bones  of 
the  poor  old  Conqueror  now,  with  all  of  us  hard  and 
fast  as  prisoners  of  war  !" 

"A  penniless  refugee  has  little  choice,"  said  Baillot, 
a  shade  of  bitterness  clouding  his  face.  "So  I  will 
accept  the  gold  most  thankfully.  My  estates  in  France 
are  confiscate  under  the  present  laws,  as  you  are  of 
course  aware.  I  have  some  property  in  America,  and  it 
173 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

was  there  I  was  bound  when  our  vessel  was  shipwrecked. ' ' 
He  paused  as  if  lost  in  painful  reminiscence.  ' '  There 
is  one  thing  I  must  crave  of  your  kindness  yet,"  he 
continued  after  a  little,  ' '  and  that  is  the  location  of 
the  island ;  without  that  information  I  can  scarcely 
hope  to  rescue  those  who  are  doubtless  still  there — un- 
less some  mischance  has  befallen  them." 

St.  Clair  hesitated,  and  Baillot,  who  was  observing 
him  narrowly,  exclaimed  angrily,  "What  monstrous 
nonsense  is  there  about  that  spot  of  earth  !  Am  I  to 
understand  then  that  the  rest  of  my  party  are  to  be 
marooned  simply  because  they  have  had  the  ill  fortune 
to—" 

"  Hold,  you  misunderstand  me  ;  it  will  be  impossible 
for  me  to  obtain  what  you  require  under  three  days. 
Your  demand  is  reasonable  and  just,  you  shall  have  the 
information  if  it  be  in  my  power  to  give  it.  Mean- 
while will  you  not  be  my  guest  at  Arundel  for  the 
present?  It  was  that  for  which  I  came  to  you  this 
morning. ' ' 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  invitation,"  said  Baillot,  some- 
what stiffly;  "but  it  will  doubtless  be  best  for  me  to 
go  up  to  London  at  once  ;  I  have  some  preparations  to 
make. ' ' 

"  I  must  ask  you  to  remain  here  for  a  few  hours  at 
least.  I  shall  wish  to  communicate  your  story  to  our 
host,  and — " 

"Certainly,  and  however  great  my  impatience  you 
may  rely  upon  me  not  to  take  French  leave,"  said  Bail- 
lot  with  a  forced  smile  at  his  own  poor  wit.  The  air 
of  mystery  about  the  affair  affected  him  most  disagree- 
ably, the  more  so  since  he  felt  sure  that  he  was  mis- 
trusted. 

174 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED 

"Diable  /"  he  broke  out  with  a  frown.  "  This  affair 
has  assumed  a  most  unpleasant  aspect.  I  see  plainly 
that  you  are  fearful  lest  I  prate  of  the  matter,  and  thus 
compromise  you  in  some  way.  Not  being  altogether 
stupid  I  can  understand  that  perhaps  higher  interests 
are  involved.  Now  in  France  what  would  happen  in 
such  a  case  ?  The  inconvenient  person  disappears ; 
where  ?  It  matters  not ;  the  Bastile  has  nooks  and 
corners  within  its  walls  most  safe.  In  England  you 
have  the  Tower.  Perhaps  if — ' ' 

' '  Upon  my  honor,  sir,  you  are  wrong  !  Do  you  sup- 
pose that  I  would  descend  to  such  vulgar  trickery  ?' ' 
demanded  St.  Clair  fiercely.  "And  yet — "  he  added 
after  a  pause,  ' '  I  do  not  wonder  at  your  thought  after 
all  that  has  passed.  Now  listen,  you  need  fear  nothing 
from  me ;  but  I  confess  that  I  do  not  know  what  to  ex- 
pect from  another  quarter.  My  advice  is  this,  get  you 
out  of  England  without  delay,  for  although  your  life  is 
in  no  present  peril,  you  might  be  subjected  to  a  delay 
which  would  prove  maddening  under  the  circumstances. 
As  for  the  information  you  require,  go  to  the  island  of 
Terciora,  of  the  Central  Azores  group,  and  inquire  for 
one  Jose  de  Miguel.  He  can  give  you  what  you  re- 
quire. But  you  should  have  an  order  to  show  him,  and 
this  it  will  be  exceedingly  difficult  for  me  to  obtain.  I 
will  do  my  best,  and  will  send  or  bring  it  to  you  within 
the  three  days.  Should  I  fail  to  obtain  it,  try  gold  on 
de  Miguel.  I  do  not  see  why — But  where  shall  we 
make  our  tryst  ?' ' 

"  Nay,  you  know  best ;  I  must  trust  myself  entirely 
to  you  in  the  matter,"  said  Baillot.  "London? — I 
shall  be  only  an  atom  there,  and  easily  enough  hidden. 
I  know  the  place  as  thoroughly  as  you  do. ' ' 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"You  had  best  do  as  I  suggested,  come  to  Arundel 
for  a  day  or  two.  It  need  not  be  known  when  you 
leave — nor  whither.  But  I  fancy  I  hear  our  host — the 
excellent  Sir  John  Rich.  Not  a  word  of  this  to  him,  I 
pray  you. ' ' 

And  indeed  at  this  moment  the  sound  of  bustling 
footsteps  in  the  corridor  without  was  heard,  and  a  brisk 
tap  at  the  door  announced  a  second  visitor. 

"Ah,  St.  Clair,  my  dear  fellow,  glad  to  find  you 
still  here  !  I  have  just  had  important  advices — most 
important.  We  were  not  wrong  in  our  conjectures. 
A  very  neat  little  affair — very  neat  indeed,  but  the 
laugh  is  not  on  our  side  this  time !  Yet  we  have  all 
done  our  duty,  and  that  after  all  is  the  main  thing.  I 
hope,  my  dear  de  Lantenac — for  so  I  must  call  you, 
with  your  permission — that  your  enforced  visit  to  Eng- 
land will  not  incommode  you,  but  rather  be  to  your 
advantage — your  very  considerable  advantage,  sir  !" 

All  of  this  the  little  governor  delivered  with  an  air 
of  the  greatest  relish,  rubbing  his  hands  briskly,  and 
skipping  about  with  suppressed  excitement.  "There 
is  no  discredit  attached  to  any  of  us  in  the  matter," 
he  continued,  "least  of  all  to  the  distinguished  officer, 
whom  I  have  the  honor  to  see  under  my  roof.  I  have 
heard  of  your  gallantry  from  my  Lord  Torrington,  sir, 
and  I  congratulate  you  !  You  will  remain  my  guest  for 
some  days  longer,  I  trust." 

"M.  de  Lantenac  has  done  me  the  honor  to  accept 
an  invitation  to  Arundel,  your  excellency,"  said  St. 
Clair.  "Though  of  course  I  shall  not  force  his  incli- 
nations in  the  matter." 

"No,  no,  of  course  not,"  said  the  governor  frown- 
ing, " — not  at  all !  He  will  remain  my  guest  for  the 
176 


A  FRIEND  IN  NEED 

present ;  I  must  make  amends  for  the  affair  of  last 
night,  you  understand.  There  is  a  little  festivity  in 
prospect — ha,  ha  !  That  brother  of  yours,  St.  Clair ! 
— really  I  would  rather  it  were  you  now  ;  but  I  cannot 
have  such  a  thing  repeated.  Why  bless  my  soul,  sir ; 
think  of  my  little  Helen  clambering  down  a  rope-ladder 
at  midnight !  And  she  would  have  done  it ! — ay, 
marry,  she  is  a  maid  of  a  proper  spirit !  And  you 
heard  the  young  knave  tell  me  to  my  face  that  he  would 
carry  her  off?  I  should  never  have  an  easy  moment, — 
not  one,  sir  !  So  I  must  needs  make  the  best  of  a  bad 
matter.  I  have  sent  for  the  honorable  Earl,  your 
father,  and  the  scriveners ;  and  unless  there  be  some 
obstacle,  which  I  see  not  at  present,  we  shall  shortly 
celebrate  the  betrothal  of  the  young  couple. ' ' 

"Roderick  is  a  lucky  dog!"  observed  St.  Clair 
smiling.  "  By  my  faith  I  am  inclined  to  challenge 
him  to  a  duel  in  behalf  of  the  maiden,  in  the  good  old 
fashion. ' ' 

"Nay,  my  lord,  he  shall  have  her,"  quoth  the  gov- 
ernor with  a  great  laugh  ;  "  you  are  too  late.  The  only 
thing  left  for  you  is  to  get  carried  off  in  some  action 
and  leave  the  earldom  to  your  energetic  younger  brother. 
'To  him  that  hath  shall  be  given,"  you  know,  as  the 
Holy  Book  hath  it." 

"Heaven  forefend !"  ejaculated  St.  Clair,  with  a 
shrug.  "  I  am  no  Esau.  The  Fates  may  have  as  fair 
a  mate  in  store  for  me. — But  I  must  congratulate  the 
youngster;  'tis  not  every  ill -wind  that  blows  so  much 
good." 

"  Let  us  adjourn  to  the  great  hall,  gentlemen,"  cried 
the  governor  with  a  wave  of  his  hand  ;  "'tis  there  the 
lovers  are  holding  court.  Marry,  'tis  a  fine  sight  to 

12  177 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

witness  the  airs  of  dame  Ursula,  the  governess  !  She 
has  my  orders  not  to  interfere,  but  it  is  most  irksome  to 
her  acidulated  maiden  modesty  to  be  compelled  to  leave 
a  pair  of  lovers  unmolested  in  her  very  presence.  You, 
Count  de  Lantenac,  have  played  a  famous  part  in  this 
little  Comedy  of  Errors,  and  the  young  people,  curi- 
ously enough,  are  inclined  to  thank  you  for  its  happy 
ending.  The  ungrateful  young  rascals  !  as  though  I 
could  not  easily  enough  have  banished  my  would-be 
son-in-law  from  Warham,  and  shut  up  the  foolish  maid 
in  a  nunnery !" 


178 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE     BETROTHAL 

THE  day  following  promised  to  be  a  notable  one  for 
the  inhabitants  of  Warham  castle.  The  weather  was 
clear  and  fair,  as  befitted  the  betrothal  day  of  the  fairest 
maid  in  all  England.  The  Earl  of  Arundel  had  ar- 
rived betimes,  and  had  given  his  paternal  blessing  on 
the  union  ;  and  what  was  more  important  for  the  ulti- 
mate happiness  of  the  young  pair,  the  fathers  had  put 
their  heads  together  to  consult  concerning  their  tem- 
poral welfare.  The  great  oaken  table  in  the  library  of 
the  castle  was  littered  with  parchments  and  papers,  and 
the  lawyers  and  scriveners,  inflated  with  the  importance 
of  the  occasion,  were  busy  with  deeds  and  writings,  ap- 
parently matters  of  the  supremest  indifference  to  the 
young  couple  themselves,  who  sat  in  one  corner,  con- 
tent to  leave  all  such  unimportant  matters  as  moneys 
and  estates  to  others,  while  they  basked  in  the  radiance 
of  love's  young  dream. 

These  matters  having  been  happily  concluded,  a  gen- 
eral air  of  festivity  and  joyousness  took  possession  of 
every  one.  Even  Baillot,  though  he  was  harassed  with 
anxiety  concerning  his  own  affairs,  could  not  help  join- 
ing in  the  amusements  which  were  going  on. 

"  Leave  us  now,  sir?"  exclaimed  the  governor,  when 
the  young  man  had  hinted  to  him  his  desire  to  take 
179 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

leave.     "  'Tis  not  to  be  thought  of !     You  must  at  all 
events  wait  until  after  the  ball." 

And  the  lady  Helen  had  added  her  entreaties  so 
prettily  to  those  of  her  father,  that  sorely  against  his 
will  the  young  Huguenot  had  yielded.  He  had  an  un- 
easy feeling  that  he  was  being  watched,  and  that  the 
cordial  insistence  of  his  host  had  its  root  in  something 
beyond  a  desire  for  his  company.  Once  he  had  sur- 
prised St.  Clair  in  close  conversation  with  Sir  John 
Rich,  and  the  embarrassed  air  with  which  they  at  once 
ceased  talking  upon  his  approach  had  increased  his  dis- 
comfort. 

On  the  morning  of  the  proposed  ball,  amid  the  gen- 
eral confusion  and  bustle  which  prevailed,  he  stood 
somewhat  apart  from  the  merry  groups  which  were  oc- 
cupied in  trimming  the  great  hall  with  garlands  of 
greenery.  His  thoughts  were  far  away.  He  seemed 
once  more  to  stand  in  the  corridor  of  the  mysterious 
chateau ;  the  delicate  flushed  face  of  Madeline  with  her 
large,  sweet  eyes  full  of  reproachful  questionings,  arose 
distinctly  before  him.  He  gave  an  involuntary  sigh. 
"I  must  get  away  from  this  place,  and  at  once !"  he 
muttered  to  himself. 

"You  are  not  happy,  monsieur,"  said  the  voice  of 
St.  Clair  in  his  ear,  "and  I  can  well  guess  the  cause ; 
you  are  anxious  to  leave  this  scene  of  domestic  felicity 
which  somehow  grates  upon  your  feelings.  I  must  tell 
you,  however,  that  the  matter  of  which  I  spoke  to  you 
has  not  been  neglected  ;  I  am  expecting  every  hour  to 
hear  whether  or  no  I  have  been  successful.  You  shall 
know  at  once,  whatever  the  intelligence.  Meanwhile 
you  are  quite  as  safe  here  as  anywhere,  and  perhaps  as 
happy,  since  the  delay  must  be  endured." 
1 80 


THE  BETROTHAL 

"  I  thought  you  had  forgotten — "  began  Baillot  in 
an  agitated  voice ;  he  was  checked  in  any  further  utter- 
ance by  the  approach  of  Sir  John  Rich. 

The  little  man  had  been  in  a  state  of  most  joyous  ac- 
tivity all  the  morning.  From  the  cellars  to  the  turrets 
he  had  inspected  everything  about  the  castle  with  his 
own  eye.  He  had  even  penetrated  to  the  kitchen  in 
the  excess  of  his  zeal,  from  whence,  however,  he  had 
been  routed  by  the  housekeeper,  a  notable  and  privi- 
leged person,  possessed  of  almost  unlimited  powers  in 
her  own  domain. 

"Indeed,  your  gracious  honor,  'tis  impossible  that 
we  should  be  put  about  by  a  visit  from  you  just  now," 
the  worthy  lady  had  declared,  smoothing  down  her  silk 
apron.  "  The  maids  and  scullions  are  that  in  terror  of 
your  worshipful  honor  that  they  are  like  dumb  images 
in  your  presence.  Their  spoons  in  mid  air,  and  their 
mouths  wide  open,  how  can  you  expect  the  plum  cakes, 
the  jellies  and  the  flummeries  to  be  properly  made? 
You  must  even  leave  it  all  to  me." 

"Very  well,  dame,"  the  governor  had  replied  ma- 
jestically. "  But  remember  that  there  is  no  mistress  in 
the  castle  ;  and  that  to-night  no  fewer  than  a  hundred 
of  the  first  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  country  will  sup 
here  in  honor  of  my  daughter's  betrothal." 

"  No  mistress  indeed  !"  thought  the  dame  to  herself, 
but  she  only  said,  "You  may  trust  me,  my  lord.  All 
shall  be  as  proper  and  right  as  at  the  king's  palace, 
though  I  must  needs  look  to  it  myself.  And  who  knows 
but  that  the  next  feast  may  be  in  honor  of  your  own 
wedding ;  for  '  twould  be  hard  to  find  a  more  personable 
gentleman." 

"  This  is  a  great  day  !"  the  little  governor  exclaimed, 
181 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

approaching  the  two  young  men.  "All  goes  well; 
the  weather  is  propitious ;  the  preparations  are  going 
forward  right  merrily  !  and  best  of  all,  I  have  news 
that  the  duke  will  be  with  us  to-night ! ' ' 

"Is  it  so?"  exclaimed  St.  Clair,  with  an  involuntary 
glance  at  Baillot.  "The  happy  pair  are  indeed  hon- 
ored ;  though  the  king  himself  might  well  dance  a 
measure  in  honor  of  so  fair  a  maid. ' ' 

"  And  should  he  do  so,  'twould  not  be  the  first  time 
the  lords  of  Warham  have  been  so  honored,"  quoth 
Sir  John  proudly.  "Why,  man,  in  King  James's 
time — ' ' 

"Ah,  here  is  our  happy  bridegroom!"  said  St. 
Clair  hastily,  interrupting  what  was  likely  to  prove  a 
tedious  tale,  and  one  which  he  already  knew  by  heart. 
"  I  see  he  has  a  word  for  my  private  ear ;  I  pray  you 
to  excuse  me  for  a  moment. ' ' 

' '  A  brave  officer  that, ' '  observed  Sir  John,  looking 
after  him  with  a  genial  smile,  ' '  and  the  younger  brother 
is  not  less  to  my  liking, — indeed  he  has  the  more  per- 
sonable figure  of  the  two.  A  prettier  pair  than  that 
youth  and  my  daughter  Helen  it  would  be  hard  to 
find!" 

"Indeed  you  are  right,"  said  Baillot;  "I  wonder 
that  you  were  so  hard  of  heart  in  the  beginning  of 
their  loves. ' ' 

"Marry!  That  was  only  to  test  the  youngster's 
metal.  Had  he  been  easily  rebuffed,  he  would  never 
have  done  to  perpetuate  the  house  of  Warham.  I  have 
no  son,  sir,  the  lady  Helen  is  my  heir,  and  one  of  her 
sons  will  bear  the  titles  and  inherit  the  estates  of  War- 
ham,  by  a  special  grant. ' ' 

"A  most  desirable  and  equitable  arrangement," 
182 


THE  BETROTHAL 

murmured  Baillot  perfunctorily.  He  was  weary  at 
heart  of  Warham  castle,  and  was  rapidly  coming  to  the 
conclusion  that  if  he  heard  nothing  further  from  St. 
Clair  before  nightfall,  he  would  take  advantage  of  the 
confusion  incident  to  the  festivities,  and  quietly  slip 
away.  "  Do  you  expect  many  guests?"  he  asked  turn- 
ing to  his  host,  who  was  watching  with  delight  the 
operations  of  two  young  men  who  were  looping  with  a 
fringy  garland  of  green  the  carven  gallery  at  one  end 
of  the  hall. 

"More  than  a  hundred,  Count,"  replied  Sir  John. 
"You  shall  dance  with  some  of  the  fairest  maidens  you 
could  hope  to  see  anywhere  on  this  green  earth. — See 
now,  they  will  finish  the  garlands  with  bunches  of 
roses  ;  is  not  that  a  pretty  device  ?  The  musicians 
will  sit  yonder  in  the  gallery,  and  I'll  warrant  me  that 
there  is  not  a  better  floor  for  a  dancing  foot  in  England 
than  this.  'Tis  as  smooth  as  a  maiden's  cheek,  and  as 
slippery  as  a  Frenchman  ! — Bless  my  soul,  what  have  I 
said?  Your  pardon,  Count !" 

' '  You  have  but  exercised  the  diplomatic  courtesy  for 
which  your  nation  is  famous,"  replied  Baillot  with  a 
slight  curl  of  the  lip.  "And  I  fear  me  that  similes 
quite  as  unflattering  to  English  characteristics  are  com- 
mon enough  in  the  mouths  of  my  countrymen." 

"I'll  warrant  me!"  said  Sir  John  with  a  chuckle. 
"Such  as  'stupid  as  an  Englishman,"  as — but  why  be 
disagreeable  to  each  other  ?  I  began  it,  and  I  sincerely 
beg  your  forgiveness  for  my  unruly  tongue.  'Tis  an 
unseemly  and  churlish  trick  to  be  forever  girding  at 
those  of  other  nations.  Nay,  I  sometimes  wonder  if 
our  so-called  patriotism  is  not  after  all  a  kind  of  selfish- 
ness, which  breeds  disaffection  and  warfare. ' ' 

183 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

To  all  of  which  the  young  man  returned  no  answer 
save  a  grave  inclination  of  the  head.  Presently  the 
governor  took  himself  off  to  oversee  the  decoration  of 
the  banqueting  hall,  and  Baillot  retired  to  his  own 
quarters.  Here  he  began  to  make  some  preparations 
for  the  journey  which  he  had  in  mind,  preparations 
necessarily  of  the  most  meagre  description,  since  he 
was  destitute  of  arms  of  any  kind,  and  dependent  still 
on  the  wardrobe  furnished  him  by  his  captors.  How- 
ever he  secured  the  gold,  which  St.  Clair  had  given 
him,  about  his  person,  and  attired  himself  in  one  of  the 
plainest  of  the  rich  habits  which  had  been  placed  at  his 
disposal. 

As  evening  drew  on  he  grew  more  and  more  anxious, 
but  none  the  less  determined  to  get  away.  He  could 
hear  the  sounds  of  opening  and  shutting  doors,  the 
rolling  of  coaches,  and  bursts  of  song  and  laughter 
from  various  parts  of  the  castle.  No  one  had  inquired 
for  him  for  several  hours,  and  he  began  to  flatter  him- 
self that  he  had  been  overlooked  amid  the  general  ex- 
citement, when  a  light  tap  sounded  upon  his  door.  In 
response  to  his  summons  St.  Clair  entered. 

Closing  the  door  behind  him  cautiously,  like  one 
who  fears  that  he  is  watched,  the  young  officer  ex- 
claimed in  answer  to  Baillot' s  invitation  to  be  seated : 

"No,  no,  I  must  not  stop  !  I  came  to  inform  you 
that  it  is  as  I  feared.  It  is  utterly  out  of  my  power  to 
obtain  for  you  the  order  of  which  I  spoke.  There  re- 
mains but  one  thing  for  you  to  do  in  order  to  rescue 
your  hapless  companions,  and  that  is  to  seek  out  de 
Miguel.  I  fancy  from  what  I  know  of  the  man,  that 
you  will  not  find  it  impossible  to  purchase  the  informa- 
tion which  you  require." 

184 


THE  BETROTHAL 

"Then  I  shall  leave  at  once,"  said  Baillot  rising. 
"  I  thank  you  most  heartily  for  the  efforts  you  have  made 
in  my  behalf,  and  for  the  information  without  which  I 
should  have  been  utterly  at  a  loss." 

"  'Twill  be  impossible  for  you  to  leave  at  once,"  in- 
terrupted St.  Clair, — "impossible!  I  must  tell  you 
frankly  that  your  actions  are  watched,  and  that  every 
effort  will  be  made  to  detain  you  in  England. ' ' 

"But—" 

"  Stay  !  hear  me  out ;  to-night  when  the  revel  is  at 
its  height,  slip  away  to  the  postern  gate  on  the  east  side 
of  the  castle — you  reach  this  by  traversing  the  ter- 
race directly  outside  the  great  hall  where  the  dancing  is 
to  take  place.  At  the  postern  you  will  find  a  horse ;  in 
the  holsters  there  will  be  arms.  Ride  along  the  high- 
way for  one  mile  towards  the  west  till  you  reach  cross 
roads,  then  north  to  the  sea ;  there  you  will  find  a  skiff 
awaiting  you  which  will  bear  you  to  a  schooner  in  the 
roads.  I  have  represented  to  her  captain  that  you  are 
my  agent  in  a  certain  matter  in  Holland.  Once  there 
you  are  safe  and  free  to  follow  your  own  devices.  I 
need  not  ask  your  secrecy  in  my  behalf,  should  it  be- 
come known  that  I  have  aided  you  in — ' ' 

' '  That  goes  without  saying  ! ' '  interrupted  Baillot. 
"  My  lips  are  sealed  not  only  in  regard  to  the  adventures 
of  to-night,  but  to  all  that  has  transpired  of  late,  for  it 
is  not  difficult  to  guess  the  reason  of  my  detention  in 
England.  For  your  own  services  to  me,  a  thousand 
thanks  are  too  few. ' ' 

"Say  no  more,  I  must  leave  you.  May  you  succeed 
in  your  venture ! ' '  and  with  a  courteous  gesture  of 
farewell  the  young  officer  left  the  apartment. 

A  lackey  now  appeared  to  announce  that  the  hour  for 
185 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

the  banquet  had  arrived,  and  Baillot  presently  found 
himself  ushered  into  the  great  drawing-room  of  state 
wherein  was  assembled  a  brilliant  company.  He  could 
see  the  small  figure  of  his  host  at  one  end  of  the  room 
and  standing  near  him,  the  prospective  bride  attended 
by  her  lover. 

He  advanced  to  pay  his  respects,  and  was  shortly  pre- 
sented to  a  buxom  English  damsel,  whose  ruddy  charms 
were  set  off  by  a  gown  of  white  muslin,  at  this  time 
just  beginning  to  be  worn  in  England,  and  which  with 
its  favorite  accompaniment  of  blue  ribbons,  has  remained 
the  recognized  garb  of  youthful  prettiness  ever  since. 

The  young  girl  looked  shyly  at  him  as  if  not  wholly 
displeased  with  her  cavalier,  but  she  evinced  no  inclina- 
tion to  enter  into  conversation,  and  Baillot  presently 
roused  himself  to  say,  as  they  were  following  the  stream 
of  guests  to  the  great  banqueting-hall,  from  which 
sounded  the  soft  strains  of  harp  and  violin, 

"This  is  a  gay  scene,  is  it  not,  Miss — ah — Ring- 
ton?" 

"Yes,  Rington,  that  is  my  name,"  assented  the 
young  girl,  blushing  rosily  as  she  glanced  up  into  the 
dark  eyes  of  her  questioner.  "  My  papa  is  Sir  George 
Rington  of  Rington  Grange.  You  will  see  him  yonder 
with  that  stout  lady,  who  has  the  tall  feather  in  her  hair. 
— A  gay  scene  ?  Indeed  yes,  but  after  supper  will  be 
the  dancing  which  must  be  far  pleasanter  than  eating. 
I  never  came  to  a  ball  before. ' ' 

"You  are  perhaps  just  from  your  convent, "  remarked 
Baillot  rather  abstractedly,  observing  a  stout  red-faced 
man  who  was  just  seating  himself  at  the  right  of  the  host 
at  the  table  of  honor. 

"  That  is  the  duke,"  said  the  girl,  following  his  gaze, 
1 86 


THE  BETROTHAL 

"only  fancy!  I  should  like  to  go  to  court,  but  papa 
won't  hear  of  it.  He  says  he  likes  country -bred  girls 
who  know  nothing  of  the  ways  of  courtiers.  Is  not  that 
tiresome  ?' ' 

Baillot  glanced  down  with  some  interest  at  the  ingenu- 
ous face  of  the  young  girl,  which  somehow  reminded 
him  of  a  gay  wild  rose  in  its  wayside  tangle  of  greenery. 
* '  Surely  this  scene  is  gay  enough  to  please  you,  is  it 
not  ?' '  he  said  smiling. 

"Yes,  if  mamma  only  allows  me  to  dance  all  I  wish. 
Here  is  mamma  now,  we  are  to  sit  next  to  her.  Mamma, 
this  is  the  Count  de  Lantenac. ' ' 

Mamma,  a  rather  severe  and  purple -faced  matron, 
adorned  with  lofty  and  nodding  plumes  and  a  plenitude 
of  old-fashioned  jewelry,  acknowledged  the  introduc- 
tion with  great  stiffness,  and  immediately  took  the  con- 
versation into  her  own  hands.  Baillot  listened  with 
outward  deference  to  a  long  account  of  the  exact  de- 
gree of  relationship  which  existed  between  the  families 
of  Warham  and  Arundel,  and  of  the  different  intermar- 
riages which  had  taken  place  between  these  and  other 
exalted  personages  in  the  county  during  the  past  hun- 
dred years.  As  for  Miss  Rington  she  relapsed  into  si- 
lence, which  was  evidently  what  her  maternal  ancestor 
designed,  since  she  possessed  in  common  with  most 
British  females,  a  profound  distrust  of  everything 
French. 

The  attention  of  the  worthy  lady  being  at  length  di- 
verted by  the  good  things  which  were  now  being  pressed 
upon  the  company,  the  flow  of  her  conversation  was 
necessarily  checked,  much  to  the  relief  of  Baillot,  who 
was  thus  left  to  his  own  reflections.  He  ate  of  the 
viands  which  were  offered  him  with  but  little  compre- 
187 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

hension  of  their  savor,  though  it  was  evident  from  the 
profusion  of  meats,  cold  and  hot,  of  venison,  fish,  wild 
fowl  and  pastry,  of  cunning  spiced  dishes,  creams,  con- 
fections and  fruits  that  the  country  had  been  laid  under 
contribution  far  and  wide.  At  length  the  ladies  with- 
drew, leaving  the  men,  as  was  the  custom,  to  indulge 
still  further  in  potations,  which  judging  from  the  flushed 
faces  and  heavy  eyes  of  some  of  the  company  had 
already  been  more  than  sufficient. 

The  mirth  now  grew  fast  and  furious  ;  toast  after 
toast  was  given  and  drunk,  amid  clashing  glasses  and 
the  merry  quips  and  jests  of  the  revellers,  until  the  host 
in  response  to  an  urgent  whisper  from  the  youthful 
bridegroom,  arose  to  lead  the  way  to  the  ball-room. 

As  the  guests  passed  out  from  the  banqueting-hall  in 
a  confused  crowd,  St.  Clair  lingered  for  an  instant  at 
the  side  of  Baillot  to  whisper — 

"  Now  !     You  will  find  all  as  I  told  you." 

Seizing  the  moment  when  the  company  emerged  into 
the  dimly -lighted  corridor,  the  young  man  halted  in  the 
black  shadow  of  a  suit  of  ancient  armor,  and  in  another 
moment,  perceiving  the  coast  to  be  clear,  he  darted  out 
upon  the  terrace,  discovered  the  postern  gate,  opened  it 
without  difficulty,  and  leaping  upon  the  back  of  a  horse, 
which  he  found  tied  under  the  shelter  of  a  tree,  gal- 
loped away  into  the  darkness. 


188 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

MISSING 

' '  Diable  !  The  wine  in  these  cellars  is  as  heavy  as 
the  waters  of  Lethe  !  My  head  feels  like  one  of  those 
unwieldy  puncheons  yonder. ' ' 

"  No  doubt  'tis  as  empty  of  wit,  my  excellent  Pierre. 
But  we  must  rouse  the  dogs  yonder  and  set  them  to 
work,  else  these  same  heads  of  ours  will  be  knocked 
together  by  the  fine  gentlemen  who  lodge  above." 
The  speaker  rose  to  his  feet  with  many  a  stretch  and 
yawn,  and  strode  away  to  the  cellars  where  the  gang  of 
workmen,  under  guard  of  the  marines,  was  lodged. 

' '  Ho,  there  !  you  lazy  rascals  ! "  he  exclaimed,  ' '  are 
you  sleeping  yet  ? — Bah  !  the  air  here  is  so  heavy  with 
wine  that  it  is  enough  to  sicken  an  honest  man  ;  did  I 
not  forbid  you  to  drink  when  you  were  on  guard  ?' ' 

"  You  swallow  the  fumes  of  your  own  drunkenness  !" 
grumbled  one  of  the  marines,  sitting  up  and  rubbing 
his  eyes  sulkily.  "We  did  but  quench  our  thirst; 
would  you  have  us  anger  our  guts  with  clammy  cold 
water  in  sight  of  an  ocean  of  good  wine  ?' ' 

' '  Keep  a  civil  tongue  in  your  good-for-naught  head, 
varlet !"  roared  the  sergeant,  with  a  hearty  kick  at  the 
half-drunken  fellow,  who  had  presumed  thus  to  answer 
him.  "  Fetch  out  the  convicts  till  I  count  them.  Be 
quick  about  it,  or  I  promise  you  a  charge  of  shot  in 
your  clumsy  calves  ! ' ' 

189 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

The  marine  rose  unsteadily  to  his  feet  and  looked 
about  him  with  a  lack-lustre  eye ;  then  he  proceeded 
with  no  gentle  hand  to  arouse  his  sleeping  companions. 
With  many  a  muttered  oath  they  unbarred  the  heavy 
door  of  the  inner  cellar  in  which  the  convicts  had  been 
shut  up  for  the  night.  A  rush  of  foul  air  and  a  smoth- 
ered groan  issued  from  this  noisome  den. 

"  Out  of  there,  dogs  !"  shouted  the  sergeant. — "  Stir 
them  up  with  the  bayonet ;  we  are  late,  I  tell  you  ! ' ' 

"One,  two,  three,"  he  muttered,  and  so  on  till  he 
had  reached  forty,  as  the  wretches  filed  out.  Then  he 
paused,  and  the  scared  face  of  one  of  the  marines  ap- 
peared in  the  doorway. 

"There  are  no  more  of  them,  sergeant." 

"No  more  of  them?  You  are  drunk!  There  are 
six  more,  the  Huguenot  dogs — nay,  seven,  for  there  is 
the  Englishman  I  found  yesterday  under  the  bush." 

"  I  tell  you  there  are  no  more,"  repeated  the  marine 
sullenly  ;  "  look  for  yourself  !" 

With  an  impatient  oath  the  sergeant  dashed  the  man 
aside,  and  entering  the  cellar,  began  to  plunge  his  bay- 
onet savagely  into  the  trusses  of  dirty  straw  which 
served  the  convicts  as  beds.  "I'll  soon  have  you  out," 
he  shouted,  "my  fine  gentlemen,  who  must  needs  re- 
fresh yourselves  with  a  morning  nap  ! — Here  you,  fetch 
me  alight!" 

After  a  moment's  delay,  which  the  angry  sergeant 
filled  with  oaths  and  execrations,  a  lantern  was  brought, 
and  he  proceeded  to  make  thorough  search  in  the  nooks 
and  corners  of  the  place. 

"  A  thousand  devils  !"  he  exclaimed  at  length.  "The 
cursed  hounds  are  gone.  Was  this  door  left  unlocked, 
numskull  ?' ' 

190 


MISSING 

"Unlocked?  No,  sir,  I  swear  it  was  not.  I  locked 
it  top  and  bottom  myself.  Did  you  not  see  me  draw 
the  bolts  just  now  ?' ' 

' '  Comment  diable  .' — but  there  is  some  way  of  getting 
out  inside  the  place.  Feed  the  dogs,  then  set  them 
digging  where  they  were  yesterday  !"  And  the  sergeant 
sprang  out  of  the  cellar  and  disappeared. 

Having  briefly  acquainted  his  comrade  with  his  un- 
pleasant discovery,  the  two  worthies  sought  their  su- 
perior officers,  who  were  luxuriously  lodged  in  one  of 
the  wings  of  the  chateau  which  had  thus  far  been  spared 
for  their  accommodation. 

These  gentlemen,  whose  potations  had  perhaps  been 
not  less  deep  than  those  of  their  subordinates,  were  still 
sleeping  soundly,  and  for  some  moments  made  no  re- 
sponse to  the  thunderous  knockings  with  which  the  two 
marines  assailed  the  panels  of  their  chamber  door. 

' '  Wake  up  within  there,  lieutenant !  Wake  up  ! ' ' 
shouted  Gaston,  pounding  lustily  with  the  stock  of  his 
musket. — "What  if  the  Huguenots  have  murdered  them 
in  their  beds!"  he  exclaimed,  turning  to  his  com- 
panion. 

"They're  either  dead  or  dead  drunk — which  is  not 
far  from  being  the  same  thing  as  far  as  a  man's  wits  are 
concerned,"  quoth  his  companion  sagely.  "What 
say  you  to  breaking  down  the  door  ?  This  tower  must 
come  down  within  the  day,  and  our  noble  lords  find 
their  quarters  elsewhere. ' ' 

"  Easier  said  than  done,  comrade;  but  we  must  get 
their  ear  at  all  events,  if  it  be  the  ear  of  living  men. 
Now  then  ! ' '  But  the  united  efforts  of  the  two  men 
made  no  impression  on  the  heavy  door. 

"  Peste !  we  are  losing  time,"  remarked  one  of 
191 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

them,  pausing  to  wipe  the  great  drops  from  his  heated 
face.  ' '  Suppose  we  hunt  the  rascals  for  ourselves, 
without  waiting  further  orders.  They  cannot  be  far 
away,  nor  can  they  escape  us." 

"  As  you  say,  they  cannot  escape  us,  and  I  choose  to 
know  at  once  whether  the  men  within  be  dead  or  alive. 
— Awake  !  Awake  !  Fire  !  Murder  !  Thieves  !" 

' '  Ha,  I  hear  them  !  That  last  tattoo  of  yours,  Gas- 
ton,  would  serve  Gabriel  himself  in  lieu  of  a  trumpet !" 

"What  do  you  want?"  came  a  sleepy  voice  from 
within ;  ' '  cannot  you  leave  your  betters  undisturbed 
till  daybreak?" 

"  'Tis  long  past  sunrise,  sir.  And  we  have  just  dis- 
covered that  a  part  of  the  convicts  have  escaped!" 
roared  Gaston  through  the  keyhole. 

Some  sort  of  a  smothered  ejaculation  followed  this 
announcement,  then  the  sound  of  a  heavy  body  leaping 
onto  the  floor. 

"Hold  on  there,  I'll  be  out  in  a  second,"  said  the 
voice  of  de  Loignac  from  within. 

The  men  outside  looked  at  one  another  ruefully. 
"  Hum  !  I  relish  not  the  task  of  telling  the  story,"  said 
one.  "  Our  worthy  lieutenant  was  doubtless  occupied 
last  night  with  the  cobwebby  bottles  which  he  bade  us 
bring  him  from  below,  but  he  will  wreak  vengeance 
upon  our  unlucky  heads,  for  this  matter." 

"We'll  take  it  out  of  the  marines  then!"  growled 
his  companion,  sticking  his  little  fingers  into  his  arm- 
holes,  and  beating  a  tattoo  on  the  polished  floor  with 
his  boot -heels. 

"  And  the  marines  will  take  it  out  of  the  convicts." 

"And  the  convicts — ?" 

"The  devil  will  shortly  take  the  convicts  !" 
192 


MISSING 

"How  now,  sergeant !"  said  de  Loignac  sternly,  as 
he  opened  the  door.  "  What  is  this  you  were  saying?" 

"We  find  six  of  the  prisoners  missing  this  morning, 
sir,"  replied  Gaston  with  a  respectful  salute.  "And 
with  them  a  man  whom  I  found  yesterday,  stunned  by  a 
blow  in  the  back  of  his  head  from  a  piece  of  falling 
rock." 

"What  's  that?  You  made  no  report  of  any  such 
matter  to  me. ' ' 

"  You  were  at  the  ship,  sir,  at  the  time,"  muttered 
the  man  sulkily.  "I  set  the  rascal  at  work  with  the 
other  convicts.  He  was  locked  up  with  them  last  night 
securely  enough." 

' '  Securely  enough  ! ' '  roared  the  officer.  ' '  What  do 
you  mean,  stupid,  by  that,  when  in  the  same  breath  you 
tell  me  that  you  have  lost  six  prisoners  ?' ' 

' '  I  mean,  sir,  that  they  were  put  into  the  inner  cellar 
last  night  as  usual.  And  that  this  morning  the  six  Hu- 
guenots together  with  the  Englishman  are  missing.  But 
'  tis  impossible  that  they —  ' ' 

"  Diable !  You  discovered  an  Englishman  on  the 
island  and  kept  the  matter  to  yourself.  You  infernal 
blockhead  !  I  have  a  mind  to  blow  your  stupid  brains 
out  this  minute  !  What  sort  of  a  looking  man  was  this 
Englishman  ?' ' 

"  A  dull-looking,  oldish  man,  dressed  in  fustian  like 
a  laborer. — But  as  I  was  going  to  say,  sir,  'tis  not  possi- 
ble for  them  to  escape.  We  can  lay  hands  on  them 
easily  enough  within  the  hour.  What  I  particularly  wish 
to  know  is  how  many  men  shall  I  detail  for  the  search  ? 
and  shall  I  give  them  orders  to  shoot  down  the  fugitives 
when  they  are  discovered  ?' ' 

"You  hear  this  precious  rascal  !"  remarked  de  Loig- 
13  193 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

nac  over  his  shoulder  to  his  brother  officer,  who  now 
appeared  in  the  corridor. 

' '  Yes,  I  hear  him  ;  no  thanks  to  him  that  we  were 
not  murdered  in  our  beds  last  night.  The  beasts  were 
doubtless  all  drunk."  The  speaker  carefully  sun-eyed 
his  finger-nails,  and  proceeded  to  trim  them  precisely 
with  a  small  knife  which  he  took  from  his  pocket. 

"I  believe  you  would  think  of  your  toilet  if  the 
heavens  fell !"  cried  de  Loignac  impatiently.  "  What 
do  you  say  to  this  business  ?' ' 

"Since  the  lives  of  these  gentlemen  are  of  no  es- 
pecial value  to  the  world  at  large,  I  should  suppose  the 
simplest  method  were  to  send  out  a  party  to  pick  them  off. 
— Seven,  I  believe  you  said,  a  pretty  morning's  sport." 

"  Devilish  pretty  !"  growled  de  Loignac  impatiently. 
"  Well,  we  may  as  well  breakfast ;  I  never  hunt  on  an 
empty  stomach." 

"Then  you  propose  leading  the  expedition  in  per- 
son ?  Truly  quite  a  diversion.  But  let  us  by  all  means 
take  the  Englishman  alive.  There  may  be  others  of 
his  party  concealed  upon  the  island.  You  remember 
the  condition  of  the  cottage  ?' ' 

"By  Jove,  you  are  right!"  cried  de  Loignac. 
"There's  somebody  about.  It  makes  my  blood  run 
cold  to  think  how  easily  we  might  have  run  our  necks 
into  a  precious  noose  !  But  who  can  be  here,  think 
you?" 

"  I  don't  like  the  look  of  the  thing  myself,"  said  de 
Morney,  surveying  his  delicate  finger-tips  with  an  air 
of  pleased  attention.  "  One  Englishman  would  hardly 
be  here  without  another — the  rascals  flock  like  black- 
birds. There's  some  deep-laid  scheme  of  the  enemy 
on  foot,  mark  my  words  ! ' ' 

194 


"You  have  the  croak  of  a  sick  raven,  de  Morney. 
Now  if  your  claws  are  in  sufficiently  good  order,  sup- 
pose we  break  our  fast  and  get  about  the  business  at 
once, ' '  growled  de  Loignac,  with  vast  contempt  evident 
in  the  tones  of  his  voice. 

"You  forget  yourself  in  your  irritation,  my  friend," 
replied  the  other  sneering.  "  If  I  overlook  your  offen- 
sive words  and  manner,  it  is  only  because  I  take  into 
consideration  your  origin. ' ' 

"  No  one  shall  taunt  me  in  that  manner  without  giv- 
ing an  account  of  it  in  blood  ! ' '  cried  de  Loignac  in  a 
fury.  "Defend  yourself!"  And  he  drew  his  rapier 
and  made  a  vicious  lunge  at  his  companion. 

"  Mon  dieu  .'  gentlemen,  remember  where  you  are  ! 
This  is  no  time  for  a  duel !"  exclaimed  Gaston,  throw- 
ing himself  between  the  combatants.  ' '  Put  up  your 
swords,  I  beg  of  you  ! ' ' 

' '  You  are  right,  fellow, ' '  said  de  Loignac  sullenly, 
sheathing  his  weapon.  "We  will  settle  this  matter 
later  on  French  soil. ' ' 

"  As  you  will,  my  friend,"  replied  the  other  with  an 
amiable  smile,  as  he  flecked  an  imaginary  bit  of  dust 
from  the  sleeve  of  his  jacket,  "a  duel  is  always  a 
pleasant  diversion." 

"  But  the  prisoners?"  interposed  Gaston  anxiously. 

"  Detail  half  a  dozen  of  the  marines  to  make  search," 
said  de  Loignac  shortly.  "Go  with  them  yourself. 
Pierre  can  take  charge  of  the  mining.  Shoot  the  Hu- 
guenots, but  take  the  Englishman  alive.  I  shall  put 
him  to  the  torture,"  he  added,  grinding  his  teeth  sav- 
agely. "We  shall  see  whether  the  raven's  croak  be  a 
true  prophecy  ! ' ' 

An  hour  later  the  sergeant  returned.     He  found  the 
195 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

two  officers  pacing  up  and  down  the  half-ruined  terrace 
smoking  in  moody  silence. 

' '  Your  report,  sergeant ! ' ' 

"  I  have  not  succeeded  in  finding  any  trace  of  the 
missing  men,  sir." 

"  No  trace  of  them  ?' '  exclaimed  de  Loignac.  "  They 
must  be  lurking  in  the  castle,"  he  added  after  a  mo- 
ment's pause.  "Set  the  place  on  fire  at  once. — 
Stay,  put  heavy  charges  of  gunpowder  in  the  cellars  be- 
fore doing  so  ;  we  will  have  a  disturbance  here  which 
will  unearth  the  rats  if  they  are  hidden  in  this  pile.  If 
they  do  not  come  to  light  then — ' ' 

"  If  they  do  not  come  to  light  then?"  repeated  the 
sergeant  interrogatively. 

"They  will  come  to  light,"  replied  the  officer,  with 
a  stamp  of  his  foot.  "  We  shall  see  them  either  hurry- 
ing out  before  the  smoke  like  half-smothered  rats,  or 
piecemeal  after  the  explosion.  Either  way  will  do," 
he  added  indifferently.  "  What  say  you,  de  Morney  ?" 
turning  to  his  companion. 

"2?0n/"  replied  that  gentleman  tersely.  "Any- 
thing to  hurry  up  this  confounded  business." 

"  As  for  our  quarters,"  continued  de  Loignac.  "  Sup- 
pose we  take  possession  of  yonder  cottage.  'Tis  a 
capital  little  place,  and  well  furnished.  I  took  another 
look  at  it  yesterday  afternoon." 

"Very  well,"  said  de  Morney  languidly.  "Get 
about  your  business  without  delay,  Gaston. — And  by 
the  by,  do  you  search  out  and  fetch  to  the  cottage  five 
or  six  dozen  bottles  of  that  same  yellow  seal  before  you 
set  the  place  afire.  But  not  a  drop  for  yourself,  rascal, 
remember !  'Twas  your  drunken  carelessness  which 
caused  this  last  mischance. ' ' 
196 


MISSING 

The  man  touched  his  forehead  in  respectful  silence  as 
the  two  officers  walked  away  ;  but  no  sooner  were  they 
out  of  sight  than  he  turned  to  Pierre,  who  had  ap- 
proached as  de  Morney  was  speaking,  and  with  an  ex- 
cellent imitation  of  that  gentleman's  haughty  manner 
said : 

' '  Fetch  me  five  or  six  dozen  of  that  same  yellow 
seal,  but  not  a  drop  for  yourself,  rascal,  remember  !" 

Pierre  replied  by  thrusting  his  tongue  into  his  right 
cheek  and  winking  rapidly  with  his  left  eye ;  then  both 
men  burst  into  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"Ah,  you  drunken  villain,  had  you  let  the  bottles 
alone,  and  attended  to  your  duty  as  carefully  as  do  your 
superior  officers,  this  last  mischance  would  never  have 
come  about,"  said  Pierre,  when  he  had  somewhat  re- 
covered himself. 

"  Drunkenness  is  truly  a  great  crime  in  those  of  low 
degree,"  quoth  the  other  piously.  "I  shall  have  no 
doubt  a  heavy  penance  to  perform  when  next  I  make 
up  my  accounts  with  a  holy  father.  As  for  you,  my 
friend,  nothing  short  of  a  pilgrimage  barefoot  will  serve 
to  lighten  your  conscience. ' ' 


197 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

HOW   IT   HAPPENED 

WHEN  Winters  heard  the  heavy  bolts  slide  into  their 
sockets  after  the  gang  of  convicts  had  received  their 
scanty  rations  of  bread  and  water,  he  found  himself 
completely  at  a  loss.  The  place  was  pitch  dark,  and  in 
the  confusion  of  the  moment  he  had  lost  sight  of  his 
companions.  He  felt  about  in  his  pockets,  and  found 
to  his  joy  a  parcel  of  candles,  which  he  had  made  up 
along  with  the  rest  of  the  stores  for  the  crow's  nest. 

Unhesitatingly  he  struck  a  light,  knowing  that  its 
feeble  glimmer  would  not  be  noticed  by  the  marines 
outside,  who  had  already  begun  their  night's  carouse. 
A  low  growl  of  approval  and  surprise  arose  from  the 
convicts. 

Looking  sharply  about  him  the  old  sailor  spied  the 
pale  face  of  the  young  Huguenot  in  the  corner. 

"Are  you  all  here?"  he  whispered,  stooping  over 
him. 

"  All, — but  what  use ;  they  have  remembered  to  lock 
the  door  to-night?" 

"Never  mind  that;  I  know  this  'ere  place.  The 
others' 11  soon  be  asleep,  an'  then  I'll  show  ye  a  trick 
worth  two  of  theirs  !" 

"But  there  is  no  place  to  hide, — even  if  we  make 
our  escape  from  this  place,"  said  the  Huguenot 
gloomily. 

"Ain't  thar!"  ejaculated  Winters  with  a  chuckle. 
198 


HOW  IT  HAPPENED 

" — Ain't  thar  !  Wall  now,  jes'  you  leave  that  to  one 
as  knows  a  thing  or  two  about  this  'ere  island.  Lay  low 
for  a  spell,"  he  added  in  a  whisper,  "till  all's  quiet 
here,  then  we'll  git." 

The  candle  which  the  sailor  had  thrust  into  a  broken- 
necked  bottle  shed  a  flickering  and  uncertain  light  upon 
the  black  walls  steaming  with  noisome  vapors,  upon  the 
uncouth  figures  of  the  exhausted  convicts,  who  lay 
sprawled  out  at  full  length  or  curled  up  into  wretched 
heaps  among  the  trusses  of  filthy  straw,  upon  the  pallid 
despairing  faces  and  sunken  eyes  of  the  Huguenots. 

"A  rum  go!"  he  muttered,  staring  about  him  re- 
flectively, "but  I'll  fetch  it  or  bust !" 

For  more  than  an  hour  longer  the  sailor  sat  motion- 
less watching  and  listening.  There  gradually  arose 
about  him  a  loud  monotonous  humming  sound,  like  that 
from  a  hive  of  gigantic  bees.  "  The  convicts  are  dead 
asleep  !"  he  said  to  himself,  rising  stealthily  to  his  feet. 
He  laid  his  ear  to  the  great  iron-bound  door  and  lis- 
tened. "  And  the  marines  are  dead  drunk  !"  he  added 
with  a  grim  smile.  He  bent  over  the  Huguenot. 

"Comrade,  are  you  awake?  'Tis  time  we  were 
moving."  The  young  man  rose  slowly  to  his  feet. 

"Moving?"  he  repeated  dully,  "but  where?" 

By  way  of  answer  the  old  sailor  stooped  and  pushing 
aside  the  litter  of  straw  and  filth  which  lay  along  the 
northern  wall,  disclosed  an  iron  ring  fast  in  one  of  the 
stones  of  the  floor. 

"Thar!"  he  said  briefly,  stooping  over  to  lay  hold 
of  the  ring.  With  a  mighty  pull  he  raised  the  stone 
from  its  place  and  pointed  to  a  narrow  stairway  which 
plunged  down  abruptly  into  a  hole  of  pitchy  blackness. 
' '  Thar  ! "  he  repeated.  ' '  Come  on  ! " 
199 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"You  will  escape,  will  you? — Ah,  you  will  go,  but 
not  without  me.  I  go  first. ' ' 

Winters  turned  with  an  involuntary  cry  ;  a  huge  half- 
naked  convict  towered  over  him  threateningly,  armed 
with  a  broken  bottle. 

"  Give  me  the  candle." 

Winters  did  not  understand  the  words,  but  the  look 
and  gesture  were  plain  enough. 

"  In  course,  my  hearty,  by  all  means,"  he  remarked 
coolly  ;  "git  right  down  thar  and  see  for  yourself;  it's 
all  ship -shape  below  decks,"  he  added  with  an  encourag- 
ing wink  at  his  horror-stricken  companions.  "  He'll 
find  something  mayhap  as' 11  warm  the  cockles  of  his 
heart." 

The  convict  remained  below  for  several  minutes ; 
they  could  hear  him  grumbling  to  himself  as  he 
stumbled  about.  When  he  returned  he  was  heavily- 
laden  with  wicker-covered  flasks,  with  which  he  re- 
tired to  his  own  corner,  growling  out  something  unintel- 
ligible as  he  passed  the  Huguenots. 

Winters  pulled  another  candle  from  his  pocket  and 
lighted  it.  "I'll  go  below  for  a  little  of  the  same  sort," 
he  remarked  with  another  of  his  extraordinary  winks. 
"  We  can't  get  off  now  till  he's  sound." 

"  Why  not  take  him  along?"  asked  the  Huguenot. 

Winters  looked  warily  at  the  convict ;  he  was  a  heavy 
powerful  fellow  with  a  thick  neck,  a  small  bullet -shaped 
head  and  a  villainous  eye  which  he  turned  suspiciously 
from  time  to  time  upon  the  group  in  the  corner. 

"  It  ain't  in  the  pictur  !"  he  responded  enigmatically 
as  he  disappeared  down  the  stairway. 

He  returned  presently  his  hands  full  of  the  wicker- 
covered  flasks.  "Take  a  sup  of  this  'ere  stuff,"  he 

200 


HOW  IT  HAPPENED 

said  hospitably,  proffering  one  to  the  Huguenot,  "it'll 
hearten  ye  up  a  bit. ' ' 

The  young  man  waved  it  away  impatiently.  "  I  have 
no  stomach  for  the  devil's  brew  to-night,"  he  said. 

"  Call  you  it  that,  mate,"  said  Winters,  drawing  the 
sleeve  of  his  jacket  across  his  mouth  after  a  prolonged 
draught.  "  Wall,  mebby  you're  right.  Grog  has  been 
well-nigh  the  ruin  of  me  and  of  many  a  better  man  as 
well ;  but  for  all  that  its  mighty  comfortin'  of  a  cold 
night." 

' '  Warming  on  a  cold  night,  and  cooling  on  a  warm 
night, ' '  commented  the  other  with  a  short  laugh. 

"You've  hit  it,  man  !  I  shall  take  no  more  to-night 
though,  for  we  shall  want  all  our  wits  about  us. ' '  He 
was  interrupted  by  the  convict  who  had  again  stumbled 
to  his  feet.  ' '  \Vhy  do  you  not  drink  ?' '  he  growled 
savagely,  fixing  his  red  eyes  upon  the  sailor. 

"  He  does  not  understand,"  interposed  the  Hugue- 
not hastily  ;  "  he  is  an  Englishman." 

' '  He  neither  drinks  nor  sleeps,  and  you  neither  drink 
nor  sleep!"  cried  the  convict  with  a  terrible  oath. 
"  Look  you,  I  shall  drink  but  I  shall  not  sleep  ! — Ah, 
you  white-faced  whining  hypocrite,  I  have  taken  a  hand 
in  your  little  game  !  Tell  the  English  dog. ' ' 

The  young  man  translated  what  the  convict  had  said. 
Winters  replied  by  passing  his  candle  to  the  man  who 
hung  over  him  threateningly.  "Ay!  look  till  your 
black  in  the  face,"  he  growled.  "  Ef  you  find  the  door 
your  more'n  welcome.  I'm  tarnal  sleepy,"  he  said 
as  the  man  disappeared  down  the  stairway,  ' '  an'  look 
you  ;  we're  all  dead  sleepy  when  he  comes  back.  Con- 
sarn  his  buttons  !"  he  added  with  a  scowl. 

When  the  convict  reappeared  it  was  evident  that  his 
201 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

greed  had  mastered  his  suspicions  for  he  was  loaded 
down  with  the  flasks. 

For  a  long  time  Winters  lay  motionless,  taking  an  oc- 
casional sly  look  at  the  convict,  who  apparently  quite 
unaffected  by  the  quantity  of  wine  which  he  had  already 
swallowed,  sat  stolidly  knocking  the  heads  off  bottle 
after  bottle,  muttering  and  grumbling  to  himself  as  he 
poured  their  contents  down  his  capacious  throat. 

After  a  time  he  arose  unsteadily  to  his  feet,  and  moved 
slowly  toward  the  stairway,  chancing  however  to  stumble 
over  the  prostrate  bodies  of  some  of  his  sleeping  com- 
rades he  fell  heavily  at  full  length  ;  struggling  for  an  in- 
stant with  the  stupor  which  was  mastering  him,  he  rolled 
over  like  a  log  and  lay  quite  still. 

Winters  sprang  up  and  seizing  the  lighted  candle  where 
it  had  fallen  from  the  nerveless  grasp  of  the  drunken 
wretch,  hastily  stamped  out  the  tiny  crawling  flames 
which  were  greedily  feeding  upon  the  straw.  Then  he 
seized  the  young  Huguenot  by  the  shoulder. 

"Come,  mate,  'tis  long  past  midnight;  we  must  be 
snugly  housed  before  daybreak,  or  we  are  lost.  Rouse 
the  others  and  go  ahead ;  I  must  git  this  'ere  stone  so  I 
can  handle  it  somehow,  I  don' t  want  to  leave  our  tracks 
uncovered — not  that  it  matters  much,"  he  added,  haul- 
ing the  stone  partly  over  the  opening. 

He  then  crawled  into  the  stairway  and  with  a  pro- 
digious effort  succeeded  in  lifting  the  stone  into  its 
place. 

"  But  how  are  we  to  get  out?"  questioned  one  of  the 
men,  who  stood  huddled  together  at  the  foot  of  the 
ladder,  their  faces  showing  pallid  and  anxious  in  the 
feeble  flare  of  the  candle. 

"  Why  jes'  this  way,  mate,"  replied  Winters,  pulling 

202 


HOW  IT  HAPPENED 

away  a  pile  of  empty  cases,  and  disclosing  a  door 
sunken  deeply  into  the  stone  wall.  "  We  open  this  so, 
an' — "  His  jaw  fell,  and  an  ashen  pallor  overspread 
his  countenance.  ' '  By  the  powers  !  if  that  dumb  fool 
Cato  hasn't  locked  this  door  !" 

"Can  we  not  break  it  down — there  are  seven  of 
us  ?' '  asked  the  young  Huguenot  anxiously. 

"Break  it  down,"  growled  Winters,  wiping  the  cold 
sweat  from  his  face.  "Wall,  I  reckon  we'll  hev  to 
try.  If  we  don't  fetch  it,  we're  gone  coons." 

The  old  sailor  together  with  three  of  the  Huguenots 
laid  their  shoulders  to  the  door  in  a  vain  attempt  to 
force  it. 

"Consarn  it  all !"  cried  Winters  at  length.  "This 
'ere  dummed  door's  clamped  an'  barred  with  iron  on 
t'other  side,  and  bolted  top  an'  bottom  into  the  bar- 
gain. The  devil  fly  away  with  that  black  numskull 
Cato  !  we're  like  to  pay  for  his  miserly  folly  with  our 
lives!" 

"Do  not  yield  to  profanity,  friend,  whatever  the 
provocation, ' '  said  the  deep  voice  of  an  old  man  who 
had  not  hitherto  spoken.  "  'Tis  ill  speaking  of  the 
evil  one  in  a  plight  like  this ;  '  twere  better  to  fall  upon 
our  knees  and  entreat  the  Source  of  all  Wisdom  for 
guidance  in  our  perplexity.  God  ofttimes  brings  his 
children  into  straits  in  order  that  they  may  be  forced  to 
fly  to  him  for  succor. ' ' 

"Aw!  Mayhap  you're  a  parson,  sir?"  said  Win- 
ters, a  queer  mixture  of  reverence  and  contempt  in  his 
tone. 

The  Huguenot  bowed  his  head.  "Yes,"  he  said 
simply.  "  I  was  a  pastor, — alas  !  that  I  must  say 
was.  And  yet  it  becomes  me  not  to  question  the  will 

203 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

of  God,  who  is  able  to  cause  all  things  to  work  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  him. ' ' 

"  If  that  be  the  case,  sir,"  said  Winters,  meditatively 
scratching  his  head,  "  suppose  you  clap  on  all  sail,  and 
try  a  tack  on  prayin',  while  the  rest  of  us  look  about  us 
a  bit ;  happen  there's  yet  another  way  out  than  what  I 
knows  of." 

"Silence!"  cried  the  old  minister  with  an  authori- 
tative gesture.  "Let  us  pray!"  and  sinking  to  his 
knees  he  put  up  a  short  but  fervent  petition  for  succor 
and  guidance  in  their  sore  perplexity. 

All  had  involuntarily  fallen  to  their  knees  while  the 
aged  pastor  was  praying,  and  as  they  arose  the  faces  of 
the  Huguenots  shone  with  a  peaceful  joy  which  did  not 
escape  the  sharp  eyes  of  the  old  sailor. 

"You  reckon  we're  all  ship-shape  arter  that!"  he 
said  slowly,  "I  kin  see  ye  do;  an'  I'm  blamed  if  I 
don't  think  so  too.  If  I  could  speak  to  the  A'mighty 
in  that  convincin'  sort  of  way,  blow  my  buttons,  if  I 
wouldn't  be  at  it  halt  the  time  !  But  He  wouldn't 
listen  to  the  likes  of  me;  I'm  a  turrible  wicked  old 
seadog,  an'  not  fit  to  mention  the  A'mighty — 'xcept 
when  I  swar." 

"  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  white 
as  snow,"  quoted  the  Huguenot  solemnly.  "  God  will 
listen  to  you  as  willingly  as  to  me,  friend.  Try  it  and 
see. — But  what  is  that  archway  yonder?  It  is  filled 
with  masonry  to  be  sure,  yet  if  it  communicate  with 
another  cellar  we  might  perchance  find  an  exit."  Seiz- 
ing the  candle  from  the  hand  of  Winters  the  speaker 
approached  the  light  nearer  the  surface  of  the  wall  in 
question.  "See,"  he  continued,  "we  might  easily 
loosen  a  few  of  these  stones  !" 
204 


HOW  IT  HAPPENED 

"There's  no  harm  tryin',  parson,"  said  Winters. 
"Happen  you're  right;  I'm  'xpectin'  to  be  got  out 
somehow.  But  what'  11  we  dig  with  ?' ' 

No  one  answered  this  question,  which  was  certainly 
a  serious  one.  The  Huguenot  however  continued  to 
search  about,  flaring  the  light  into  every  nook  and 
corner  of  the  place  ;  suddenly  he  uttered  a  cry  of  joy 
and  held  up  to  view  a  rusty  pickaxe,  which  he  had  found 
lying  on  the  earthen  floor,  half-hidden  by  a  pile  of 
broken  casks.  "  Here  is  the  instrument  of  our  deliver- 
ance," he  said  in  a  trembling  voice,  "providentially 
left  for  this  our  extremity  by  some  hand  which  knew 
not  its  mission  ! ' ' 

"  And  here's  the  man  for  the  pickaxe,"  cried  the  irre- 
pressible sailor,  "  proverdentially  provided  with  a  pair 
of  good  stout  arms  !  Hand  it  over,  parson,  we'll  soon 
see  whether  you're  right  or  wrong  !"  And  seizing  the 
tool,  he  began  a  lusty  assault  upon  the  masonry  of  the 
archway. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  the  wall  was  a  thick  one, 
and  that  to  pierce  it  would  prove  no  easy  task.  When  the 
sailor  became  exhausted  and  paused  to  recover  breath 
one  of  the  Huguenots  took  his  turn.  In  the  course  of 
half  an  hour  they  had  succeeded  in  removing  but  a 
single  stone  ;  but  the  breach  once  made  it  became  only 
a  matter  of  time  to  widen  it,  and  after  several  hours  of 
hard  labor  the  toilers  had  the  satisfaction  of  hearing 
some  stones  fall  from  the  other  side.  They  had  pene- 
trated the  wall. 

"I'll  take  a  look  on  t'other  side!"  said  Winters. 
And  seizing  the  lighted  candle,  he  crawled  cautiously 
through  the  jagged  opening  into  the  darkness  beyond. 


20  = 


CHAPTER  XXV 

UNDERGROUND 

"WHAT  is  there?"  anxiously  inquired  the  Huguenot 
pastor,  thrusting  his  white  head  into  the  opening. 

"It's  safe  enough,"  was  the  cautious  answer.  " But 
I'm  blessed  if  I  can  make  out  what  sort  of  a  place  it  is  ! 
Best  come  through  at  once,  all  of  ye. ' ' 

The  anxious  listeners  needed  no  second  bidding. 
Winters  held  aloft  the  guttering  candle,  and  all  looked 
about  them  curiously.  The  feeble  light  revealed  a  low, 
narrow  gallery  arched  and  paved  with  stone,  which  ap- 
peared to  stretch  away  indefinitely  into  the  darkness. 

' '  Let  us  go  forward  ! ' '  said  the  old  minister  after  a 
pause.  "  That  this  place  will  afford  us  the  refuge  for 
which  we  entreated  the  Almighty,  I  do  not  for  a  mo- 
ment doubt,  else  why  was  my  gaze  directed  toward  the 
arch  ?  Why  did  my  dim  eyes  find  the  pickaxe  ?' ' 

"Hark,  what  is  that?" 

"They  are  at  work  agin,"  said  Winters,  "and  not 
far  away ;  'tis  the  noise  of  the  picks  overhead." 

"Heaven  grant  that  they  do  not  penetrate  this  gal- 
lery in  their  excavations  ! ' '  exclaimed  the  Huguenot 
pastor.  ' '  Let  us  hasten  ! ' ' 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !"  cried  the  sailor,  "  this  'ere's  the  last 
of  the  candles  ! ' ' 

The  party  hurried  forward,  stumbling  now  and  then 
over  a  loosened  stone,  the  damp  mouldy  air  of  the 
place,  its  low  walls  green  and  shining  with  moisture, 

206 


UNDERGROUND 

oppressing  them  one  and  all  with  a  sense  of  suffocation. 
They  had  not  proceeded  far  when  the  ground  shook 
beneath  their  feet,  and  a  muffled  roar  and  detonation 
echoed  and  re-echoed  throughout  the  dismal  place.  A 
few  fragments  of  broken  stone  fell  from  the  roof  of  the 
gallery,  then  all  was  silent  once  more. 

"Thank  God!"  murmured  the  old  minister  rever- 
ently, "we  have  escaped  that  peril." 

"They're  sarchin'  for  us  with  gunpowder,"  quoth 
Winters.  "I'll  bet  my  head  the  rascals  was  all-fired 
mad  not  to  see  legs  and  arms  a  flyin'  into  air  with  that 
explosion  ! ' ' 

One  of  the  party,  a  bold-looking  but  taciturn  man  of 
middle  age,  who  had  been  hurrying  along  slightly  in 
advance  of  the  others,  now  paused  with  a  gesture  ex- 
pressive of  great  surprise. 

"What  is  it? — What  have  you  found?"  cried  the 
others,  hastening  their  steps. 

The  gallery,  which  at  this  point  diverged  slightly  to- 
wards the  left,  suddenly  expanded  into  a  large  and  lofty 
chamber.  It  was  at  the  entrance  of  this  chamber  that 
the  man,  who  was  called  Croissart,  had  paused  with  up- 
lifted hand. 

The  place  was,  like  the  gallery,  paved  and  ceiled 
with  stone,  but  the  great  height  of  the  roof  and  the 
curious  formations  which  depended  from  it,  revealed 
the  fact  that  it  was  not  the  work  of  man,  but  rather  a 
natural  formation.  It  was  manifestly  one  of  those  cav- 
erns or  grottoes,  in  which  the  slow  finger  of  time  de- 
lights to  work  out  in  silence  and  in  darkness  all  sorts  of 
weird  images  of  the  living  and  sentient  world  above 
ground. 

This  cavern,  however,  was  not  dark,  but  illumined 
207 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

with  a  pale  greenish  light,  which  darkened  and  gleamed 
at  intervals  like  the  light  of  a  glowworm.  This  un- 
certain light,  the  adventurers  presently  discovered, 
came  from  the  side  of  the  cave  through  a  number  of 
narrow  slits  which  pierced  the  solid  rock  at  intervals. 
In  a  word  it  was  daylight,  but  daylight  filtered  through 
a  thick  curtain  of  green  leaves,  which  swaying  and  flut- 
tering in  the  breeze  from  time  to  time  caused  the  pecu- 
liar effect  of  light  and  shade  which  they  had  ob- 
served. 

It  was  none  of  these  things,  however,  which  caused 
the  little  group  to  stand  silent  and  motionless  at  the  en- 
trance to  this  strange  place.  In  the  centre  of  the 
chamber — for  so  we  may  call  it — was  a  table  roughly 
and  massively  built,  and  before  it  in  a  great  oaken 
chair,  his  back  to  the  entrance,  sat  a  man.  He  was 
leaning  forward,  engaged  perhaps  in  writing,  for  pens 
and  inkhorn  lay  near  at  hand,  while  a  number  of  papers 
were  scattered  about  on  the  table  before  him.  For  the 
rest,  he  was  dressed  in  a  rich  but  somewhat  old-fash- 
ioned habit  of  darkish  velvet  adorned  with  a  profusion 
of  lace.  The  long  curls  of  a  wig  which  fell  forward  on 
either  shoulder  entirely  concealed  his  face  from  view. 
This  personage  was  apparently  not  aware  of  their 
approach,  for  he  sat  quite  still,  his  hair  stirring 
lightly  in  the  fresh  breeze  which  blew  in  from 
outside. 

"And  who  may  this  fine  gentleman  be,"  whispered 
Winters  in  the  ear  of  the  clergyman.  "  He  must  be  as 
deaf  as  an  adder  or  he  would  have  heard  our  voices. 
What  do  you  say,  sir,  shall  I  hail  him  ?' ' 

The  Huguenot  looked  about  him  anxiously  and  un- 
certainly as  if  to  seek  advice  from  the  others,  at  the 

208 


UNDERGROUND 

same  time  laying  a  restraining  hand  on  the  arm  of  the 
sailor.  No  one  spoke  ;  all  were  gazing  in  fascinated  si- 
lence at  the  figure  in  the  great  chair. 

' '  I  think  I  saw  him  move, ' '  whispered  one  after  a 
little, — "or  was  it  but  the  shadow  of  yonder  leaves?" 

"  'Tis  some  bedevilment  or  other;  the  place  is  full 
of  it !"  muttered  Winters,  his  teeth  chattering  with  ter- 
ror. "  Let  us  go  back  and  leave  him." 

But  at  this  the  aged  clergyman  with  a  sudden  ener- 
getic straightening  of  his  thin  figure,  strode  boldly  for- 
ward toward  the  silent  figure. 

"  Friend  !"  he  said,  in  a  voice  which  sounded  hollow 
and  unnatural.  The  lofty  roof  caught  up  the  word  and 
flung  it  back  in  a  thousand  uncanny  whispers.  "  'Tis 
but  the  echo, ' '  he  said  after  a  startled  pause,  glancing 
toward  the  shrinking  group  in  the  doorway. 

"'Tis  but  the  echo — but  the  echo — the  echo — echo — 
e-cho  /' '  repeated  the  airy  voices. 

' '  Good  Lord  !  I'  d  ruther  be  blowed  up  and  done  with 
it !"  cried  Winters,  darting  forward. 

"What  be  you  doin'  here,  sir?"  laying  as  he  spoke  a 
trembling  hand  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  man  who  sat 
in  the  chair,  still  apparently  quite  unmoved  by  all  that 
had  been  going  on  about  him.  "  He's — he's  dead!" 
he  gasped,  turning  an  ashen  face  toward  the  others. 

And  the  ghostly  echo  whispered  "Dead — dead — 
dead!" 

How  long  this  strange  figure  clad  in  the  habiliments 
of  life  had  sat  in  that  great  chair  it  was  impossible  to 
guess.  The  awestruck  gazers  shrank  back  before  the 
terrible  face,  its  lips  drawn  back  from  its  yellow  teeth  in 
ghastly  semblance  of  a  smile,  its  withered  eyeballs  fixed 
in  an  unwinking  stare.  One  skeleton  hand  grasped  a 
14  209 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

pen.  From  beneath  it  where  it  rested  upon  the  paper 
had  spread  a  dark  yellowish  stain. 

The  aged  clergyman  was  the  first  to  break  the  silence. 
"This  poor  relic  of  humanity  can  do  us  no  harm,"  he 
said,  and  advancing  to  the  table,  he  looked  down  at  the 
paper  upon  which  the  man  had  been  writing  when  death 
had  so  suddenly  overtaken  him.  After  a  moment' s  pause 
he  continued,  ' '  I  can  read  a  part  of  what  is  written  here  ; 
it  is  this  :  '  Gracious  Sire,  Have  I  not  atoned  for  my 
folly  ?  another  year  of  this  solitude  will  drive  me  mad  ! 
Better  a  cell  in  the  Bastile  with  the  restless  heart  of 
Paris  beating  near  at  hand  than  this  horrible  exile  !  Be- 
sides I  must  see  you  ;  I  fear  lest — '  I  can  read  no  more, ' ' 
— glancing  up  at  the  circle  of  grave  attentive  faces ; 
"what  follows  is  completely  obliterated." 

"This  'ere  must  be  the  man  what  owned  the  place 
above  !"  said  Winters  at  length.  "  But  who  is  he?" 

"Nay,  that  we  cannot  say,"  replied  the  Huguenot. 
"  These  other  papers  seem  to  contain  figures  and  esti- 
mates of  some  sort ;  there  is  nothing  further. — My 
friend,  did  you  bring  the  pickaxe  ?' ' 

"  I  have  it,"  said  Croissart. 

"  Then  as  we  must  perforce  remain  hidden  during  the 
day — if  indeed  it  be  the  will  of  God  to  deliver  us  from 
this  place,  we  will  lay  this  poor  shell  away  to  rest  a 
space  from  the  fever  of  living,"  said  the  old  minister 
solemnly. 

Accordingly  after  removing  some  of  the  paving-stones, 
a  grave  was  dug  and  the  body  of  the  unknown  was  bur- 
ied. The  Huguenot  pastor  breathed  a  brief  prayer,  the 
stones  were  replaced  and  all  was  over. 

"  This  ain't  such  a  bad  sort  of  a  place  now  that  the 
gentleman  is  underground — whar  he's  b' longed  for  the 


UNDERGROUND 

Lord  knows  how  long,"  remarked  Winters,  wiping  the 
perspiration  from  his  face.  "  Now  I'll  jes'  take  a  squint 
out  of  one  of  these  'ere  windows."  And  dragging  the 
great  chair  wherein  the  dead  man  had  sat  close  to  the 
wall,  he  clambered  to  its  back  and  peered  out  of  one  of 
the  narrow  slits. 

"What  do  you  see  ?"  questioned  one  of  the  Hugue- 
nots. But  the  sailor  only  replied  by  a  warning  gesture. 
Presently  he  jumped  down  and  approaching  the  others 
half- whispered,  "Two  of  the  rascals  is  jes'  outside, 
they're  sarchin'  for  us.  But  blame  it,  we're  safe  enough 
here  if  we  don't  perish  of  hunger  an'  thirst." 

"  Is  there  no  other  way  out  save  the  one  by  which  we 
entered  ?' '  said  the  young  Huguenot,  whom  the  clergy- 
man had  once  or  twice  addressed  as  St.  Andre.  "  What 
is  here  ?' '  approaching  as  he  spoke  a  dark  recess  in  one 
corner. 

' '  There  seems  to  be  a  continuation  of  the  gallery,  or 
another  chamber  of  some  sort,"  exclaimed  Croissart, 
cautiously  advancing  a  few  feet.  "  'Tis  a  pity  we  have 
no  light." 

"  I  do  see  a  glimmer  of  some  sort  in  the  distance  ! ' ' 
cried  St.  Andre.  "  Stay,  I  will  advance  alone,  if  there 
be  any  obstacle  or  pitfall,  'twere  best  for  one  to  dis- 
cover it, ' '  and  he  pushed  boldly  past  Croissart  and  dis- 
appeared in  the  darkness. 

Presently  he  reappeared  to  the  great  relief  of  those 
who  remained  behind.  "  'Tis  all  smooth  and  straight 
underfoot,"  he  said  almost  cheerfully.  "I  was  not 
mistaken  about  seeing  light.  I  found  at  the  end  of  a 
gallery,  similar  to  the  one  by  which  we  entered,  a  door 
clamped  and  bolted  to  the  solid  rock.  All  we  shall 
have  to  do,  I  take  it,  to  emerge  into  the  daylight  will 
211 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

be  to  walk  out.  The  door  is  completely  overgrown 
with  vines  and  shrubs  on  the  outside  and  has  evidently 
not  been  opened  for  some  time." 

"  It  won't  be  healthy  for  us  to  open  it  for  some  time 
longer  !"  quoth  Winters.  "  If  we  had  a  bit  of  fodder 
now,  an'  a  mouthful  of  drink, — Blow  my  buttons,  but 
I'd  be  blamed  glad  of  even  water  !" 

"Even  water!"  echod  St.  Andre.  "What  liquid 
ever  devised  by  the  wit  of  man  equals  a  draught  from 
one  of  God's  own  fountains.  Water  you  can  have, 
friends,  if  you  will  but  follow  me." 

Near  the  grated  door  of  which  he  had  spoken,  there 
gushed  from  the  solid  rock  a  spring  of  crystal  coolness 
and  clearness,  its  tiny  stream  falling  into  a  basin  which 
had  been  hollowed  out  in  the  stone  beneath,  from 
thence  overflowing  into  a  channel  which  evidently  had 
some  subterranean  outlet. 

"Ah  !"  exclaimed  Winters,  rising  to  his  feet  after  a 
long  refreshing  draught,  ' '  that  will  be  better  than  the 
water  in  the  crow's  nest  Faith  !  if  I  had  known  of 
this  snug  retreat  I  should  never  have  troubled  myself  to 
build  that;  though  it  sarved  its  turn — it  sarved  its 
turn  !" 

"To  what  do  you  refer?"  questioned  St.  Andre. 

Thus  interrogated  the  sailor  made  haste  to  tell  the 
whole  story  of  the  shipwrecked  party,  including  the 
disappearance  of  the  young  sailor  and  the  present 
whereabouts  of  the  women  and  Cato. 

"  The  only  thing  that  worries  me,"  said  the  old  man 
in  conclusion,  "is  that  fool,  Cato.  He'll  be  dead  sar- 
tain  to  do  something  to  draw  the  eyes  of  those  mis- 
creants into  the  tree-tops.  Like  enough  he's  got  a  white 
table-cloth  up  there,  an'  '11  take  it  into  his  woolly  head 
212 


UNDERGROUND 

to  shake  the  crumbs  off  onto  the  very  heads  of  the  var- 
mints." 

"Could  you  not  bring  them  hither — together  with 
some  of  the  provisions,  under  cover  of  the  darkness  ?' ' 
asked  the  Huguenot  pastor,  who  had  been  a  thoughtful 
listener  to  the  sailor's  story.  "These  ladies,  from 
what  you  say  of  them,  must  be  of  our  number, — 
driven  like  so  many  others  from  the  shelter  of  their 
homes. ' ' 

"The  very  thing!"  cried  Winters,  slapping  his  leg 
violently,  as  was  his  wont  when  an  idea  appealed 
strongly  to  his  imagination.  "  The  very  thing  !  One  of 
you  shall  go  with  me  ;  two  of  us  can  make  shift  to  carry 
enough  victuals  to  last  several  days.  When  those  are 
e't  up  we  shall  have  to  trust  to  our  wits  to  get  more." 

"Rather  trust  God,  who  has  guided  us  thus  far!" 
exclaimed  the  pastor  piously. 

"Who  gave  us  our  wits,  man?  An'  what  did  He 
giv  'em  to  us  for?"  cried  the  incorrigible  old  sailor. 
"The  Lord  made  yonder  spring,  but  if  you  was  thirsty 
would  you  stand  up  an"  bawl:  'Oh,  God,  I'm  dry!' 
an'  expect  the  Lord  to  pour  the  water  down  your  gul- 
let? You'd  dry  up  in  your  tracks  afore  you'd  git  it, 
I  reckon  ;  and  sarve  you  right ! ' ' 

"  In  your  rough  way  you  have  put  a  very  important 
truth,"  quoth  the  minister  in  an  argumentative  tone. 
"And  since  by  the  goodness  of  the  Almighty  and  our 
own  wits,  our  thirst  is  quenched,  I  propose  that  we  re- 
turn to  the  chamber  which  we  have  just  quitted,  and 
there  spend  some  time  in  prayer  and  meditation. — 
'Twill  be  a  profitable  employment,"  he  added,  "and 
will  help  pass  away  the  time  until  evening,  when  we  shall 
attempt  to  carry  out  the  plan  of  our  bold  rescuer  here. ' ' 
213 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

THE   SENTRIES 

THE  Huguenots  received  this  suggestion  with  mani- 
fest joy.  As  for  Winters,  he  followed  the  others,  but 
with  the  air  of  a  man  who  felt  himself  to  be  out  of 
place. 

"  What  I  can't  for  the  life  of  me  see,"  he  burst  out 
at  length,  ' '  is  what  all  the  trouble  between  your  wor- 
shipful king  and  you  is  about.  He  ain't  a  heathen,  is 
he  ?  No.  An'  he  prays  to  the  same  God,  an'  expects 
to  git  to  the  same  heaven,  don't  he  ?  An'  yet  he's  for 
makin'  you  come  to  his  church,  an'  you  say  you  can't 
do  it,  an'  would  ruther  be  killed  than  do  it.  Now  what 
I  want  to  know  is  this.  What  be  you  goin'  to  do  when 
you  all  git  up  yonder?  Wouldn't  it  be  a  heap  more 
sensible  to  quit  jawin'  and  quarrellin'  with  each  other 
and  put  your  heads  together  for  the  savin'  of  such  sin- 
ners as  I  be,  say?  Course  I  don't  know  nothin'  'bout 
it,  but  'taint  good  sea  sense  to  go  cruisin'  'round  pro- 
miscuous like  when  you've  got  a  special  port  in  view, 
and  a  cargo  to  take  there. ' ' 

The  old  pastor  sighed.  "  I  suppose,"  he  said,  "  that 
if  the  love  of  God  could  once  take  possession  of  the 
church  militant  all  dissension  would  cease.  Some- 
times," he  added  with  a  shadowy  smile  at  the  little 
group  of  earnest  faces,  "I  think  that  word  militant  as 
applied  to  the  church  on  earth  is  used  advisedly,  only, 
alas !  most  of  the  fighting  is  within,  and  the  foes  with- 
214 


THE  SENTRIES 

out  wax  mighty  and  laugh  at  the  sight  of  an  army  whose 
whole  energies  must  perforce  be  directed  to  quelling  the 
quarrelsome  and  mutinous  soldiers  which  compose  it. 
Ah  well,  I  trust  that  in  the  new  world  there  will  be  a 
church  militant  which  shall  also  be  a  church  trium- 
phant!" 

At  this  one  of  the  Huguenots  forgetting  his  surround- 
ings burst  forth  with  a  strain  from  the  Psalms, 

"  Sing  unto  God,  praise  ye  his  name  ! 
The  righteous  rejoice  and  triumph  before  God, 
But  the  wicked — " 

"Hist,  man,"  cried  the  sailor  springing  forward, 
"  you're  clean  out  of  your  mind  to  raise  such  a  noise. 
You  don't  want  to  have  so  much  religion  aboard  with- 
out a  good  lot  of  common  sense  to  keep  it  well  up  to 
the  wind  !  Blow  my  buttons,  but  it  reminds  me  of  a 
sloop  with  a  whoppin'  spread  of  canvas  and  no  bal- 
last ! ' '  And  the  old  man  clambered  up  to  one  of  the 
openings  in  the  wall  once  more,  and  peered  anxiously 
out.  "Wall,  as  luck  will  have  it,"  he  remarked  after 
a  moment's  survey,  "  there  don't  seem  to  be  any  of  the 
varmints  about ;  but  you  want  to  batten  down  your 
hatches  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  or  you'll  git  to  heaven 
quicker'  n  you  want  to  ! " 

"You  are  right,  friend,  rough  and  almost  profane 
as  is  your  way  of  expressing  it,"  said  the  pastor. 
"And  as  this  must  of  necessity  be  a  day  of  fasting,  let 
it  also  be  a  day  of  prayer  and  special  sanctification, 
each  for  himself  and  in  silence,  till  the  time  shall  come 
to  act. ' '  So  saying  the  holy  man  withdrew  himself  into 
a  dark  corner  of  the  cavern  and  sat  down  upon  the 
215 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

stone  pavement.     The  others  followed  his  example,  and 
so  the  hours  wore  heavily  away. 

As  night  drew  on,  Winters,  who  had  spent  the  day 
wandering  back  and  forth  between  the  door  of  the 
outer  corridor  and  the  windows,  solacing  himself  mean- 
time with  a  liberal  mouthful  of  tobacco,  approached  St. 
Andre. 

"The  blamed  rascals  have  kep'  away  from  this  part 
of  the  island  all  day,"  he  remarked ;  "  I  ain't  seen  hair 
nor  hide  of  one  of  'em.  Mebbe  your  prayin's  kep'  'em 
off,  same  as  smoke' 11  drive  away  musquitoes.  Wall,  all 
I'm  hopin'  is  that  they  ain't  got  wind  of  what's  up  in 
them  pine  trees.  I'd  sooner  part  with  my  right  hand 
than  have  anything  happen  to  them  two  women — not 
that  I  keer  much  for  women -folks  in  general,  knockin' 
round  the  world  as  I  do,  a  man  don't  fall  in  with  the 
right  sort  very  often ;  but  a  finer,  smarter  lady  than 
the  one  I've  been  tellin'  you  about,  or  a  sweeter,  hand- 
somer lass  than  Miss  Mad' line,  you  don't  often  see." 

"What  is  the  name?"  interrupted  St.  Andre,  leaning 
forward  and  fixing  his  blue  eyes  intently  upon  the  old 
sailor. 

"The  name  of  the  gal  is  Mad' line — that  is  her  first 
name,"  replied  the  old  sailor.  "  She's  French — though 
as  I've  often  said,  nobody  'ud  ever  guess  it.  'I  don't 
mind  bein'  French, '  says  she.  I  had  to  laugh,  she  said 
it  so  kind  of  cute  like.  I  tell  you  she's  as  smart  a  lass 
as  ever  growed,  an' — " 

"But  her  last  name  !"  urged  St.  Andr6  eagerly. 

"Wall,  it's  something  like  d' Longer,  I  ain't  no 
tongue  fur —  But  what  in  thunder  ails  ye,  man?" 

The  young  Huguenot  had  sprung  to  his  feet  and  was 
excitedly  pacing  the  floor. 

216 


THE  SENTRIES 

"Is  the  young  lady  very  slender?"  he  asked  in  a 
tremulous  voice,  "and  has  she  a  clear  pale  skin,  beau- 
tiful brown  hair,  and  dark  eyes  ?' ' 

"The  very  pictur'  !"  cried  Winters.  "Her  hair 
curls  like  a  grape-vine  if  it  gits  loose.  She's  mostly 
pale,  but  I've  seed  her  cheeks' s  red's  a  rose  when  our 
cap'n  was  a  talkin'  to  her.  Her  mother  looks  a  lot 
like  her,  only  she's  always  pale,  and  her  hair  has  a 
sprinkle  of  white  in  it  here  and  there  like  the  sea  of  a 
stormy  day.  Do  you  know  'em?" 

"  I  believe  that  they  are  my  mother  and  sister,"  re- 
plied the  young  man  in  a  husky  whisper.  "  Mon  dieu — 
to  think  of  their  being  in  the  midst  of  such  peril !"  he 
added  with  a  groan. 

"Ain't  I  here?"  exclaimed  Winters  in  an  aggrieved 
way.  "An'  ain't  I  looked  arter  'em  for  a  matter  of 
two  months?  They're  as  safe  as  we  be — if  they've  only 
done  as  I  said,  kep'  quiet,  an'  had  the  luck  to  keep 
that  fool  Cato  quiet  too,  which  is  another  thing,  the 
blamed—" 

"Why  did  you  leave  them?"  interrupted  the  young 
man  harshly. 

"Why  did  I  leave  'em?"  repeated  the  old  sailor, 
rolling  up  his  eyes.  "  Why  Lord,  here  you  folks  have 
been  a  goin'  on  'bout  God's  leadin's,  speshul  provi- 
dence and  that  sort  of  thing.  S'pose  I  hadn't  of  left 
'em;  where' d  you  be  now — hey?  Mebbe  the  Lord's 
got  more  idees  than  you  give  him  credit  for  !  Looks  to 
me  like  a  neat  little  plan  to  bring  you  folks  together 
agin — a  curus  way,  I  admit,  but  I  don't  know's  under 
the  circumstances  I  could  ha'  done  better  myself.  Seems 
to  me  if  I  was  a  sailin'  under  a  cap'n  as  I  knew  had 
good  sea-sense  an'  a  reliabul  chart,  I'd  take  my  orders 
217 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

without  inquirin'  too  much  into  the  reasons  for  'em. — 
An'  I  know  one  thing  mighty  well,  I'd  git  the  rope's 
end  and  desarve  it  too,  if  I  didn't." 

"Yes — yes,  of  course  !"  replied  St.  Andr6  impatient- 
ly. "  But  when  can  we  start  ?" 

"  Wall,  not  for  quite  a  spell  yet ;  the  sun  ain't  been 
down  more'n  an  hour.  Like's  not  they'll  be  on  the 
lookout  for  us  to-night.  They've  blowed  the  castle  up 
pretty  much  by  this  time, ' '  and  the  speaker  meditatively 
shifted  his  quid  of  tobacco.  "  I  hope  to  the  Lord  they 
don't  take  up  their  quarters  in  the  cottage  yonder  ;  it's 
only  a  stone's  throw  from  the  crow's  nest." 

"  Are  you  making  your  plans  for  the  night's  work?" 
queried  the  old  clergyman  approaching.  "  St.  Andr6 
de  Langres,  you  have  the  air  of  a  man  in  deep  distress 
of  mind  ;  what  is  it,  my  son  ?' ' 

"Yes,  that's  the  name  !"  quoth  Winters  jubilantly. 
"By  gum,  thar'll  be  a  big  time  when  my  ladies  clap 
their  eyes  onto  you,  sir.  Hope  I'll  be  thar  to  see  it !" 

"  What  do  you  mean?"  again  inquired  the  Hugue- 
not pastor,  glancing  from  Winters'  broad  smiling  face 
to  the  downcast  countenance  of  the  young  man. 

"  He  means  that  the  two  women  of  whom  he  has 
been  telling  us,  are  in  all  human  probability  my  mother 
and  sister,  from  whom  I  was  parted  by  those  devils  in 
Languedoc  six  months  ago.  God  only  knows  what  they 
have  suffered  since  !  And  now  I  hear  of  them  once 
more,  only  to  learn  that  they  are  reduced  to  a  forlorn 
refuge,  from  which  they  may  already  have  been  torn  by 
the  brutal  hands  of  yonder  villains. ' ' 

"  You  didn't  worry  about  'em  a  mite  till  you  found 
they  might  be  some  relation  of  yourn,"  remarked  the 
old  sailor  coolly.  "  Beats  all  how  resigned  we  be  'bout 

218 


THE  SENTRIES 

other  folks'  troubles !  We'll  soon  find  out  whether 
they're  thar  yet.  And  now  you,  parson,  what's  your 
name,  if  you  don't  mind  telling  me — I  allers  like  to 
know  how  to  hail  ship  or  man  ?' ' 

"My  name  is  Dinant — Constantin  Dinant,"  said  the 
Huguenot  with  a  courteous  inclination  of  his  white  head. 
"Will  you  tell  me  what  you  intend  to  do?  It  seems 
to  me  that  we  must  have  a  preconcerted  plan  of  action, 
so  that  in  case  of  any  mischance  we  should  not  be  alto- 
gether at  a  loss. ' ' 

"  Jes'  so  !"  quoth  Winters,  smiting  his  closed  fist  into 
the  palm  of  his  other  hand.  "  S'pose  now  we  should 
find  we  couldn't  git  at  the  crow's  nest,  by  reason  of  the 
infernal  French  villains  bein"  in  the  way.  Then  we 
should  come  back — with  victuals  if  we  can  lay  our  hands 
on  any.  Thar's  another  case,  suppose  we  should  git  up 
in  the  tree,  then  should  be  surprised  and  be  forced  to 
stay.  You'd  have  to  make  the  best  of  it  and  lay  low 
where  you  be  till  the  rascals  leave  the  island,  which 
won't  be  long." 

"  We  will  keep  a  guard  at  the  door  so  as  to  admit  you 
instantly  in  case  you  return,  which  God  grant ! ' '  said 
pastor  Dinant. 

And  now  as  it  had  grown  sufficiently  late  in  the 
opinion  of  Winters  to  make  the  venture,  all  groped 
their  way  through  the  passage  to  the  end  of  the  corri- 
dor where  the  grated  door  showed  dimly  in  the  thick 
darkness.  This  .was  cautiously  opened,  not  without 
great  difficulty  on  account  of  the  rust  of  years,  then 
Winters  and  the  young  Huguenot,  de  Langres,  slipped 
silently  out,  with  a  whispered  ' '  God  speed ' '  from 
the  old  pastor. 

Pushing  their  way  through  the  thick  branches  they 
219 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

gained  the  summit  of  the  little  hill,  under  whose  over- 
hanging brow  was  the  concealed  entrance  which  they 
had  just  quitted.  Winters  paused  for  a  moment  to  look 
about  him.  The  night  was  dark  and  yet  there  was  suf- 
ficient light  from  the  stars  and  the  slender  new  moon, 
which  now  and  then  plunged  dagger-like  into  the  midst 
of  the  rapidly  drifting  masses  of  cloud,  to  show  the  ad- 
venturers their  whereabouts.  On  their  right  hand  glowed 
a  dull  red  mass,  manifestly  the  smouldering  remains  of 
the  castle,  while  at  a  little  distance  they  could  see 
through  the  trees  the  brilliant  light  of  a  large  fire. 

"Dash  my  buttons!"  muttered  Winters,  '''tis  as  I 
feared,  the  castle  is  in  ruins,  and  the  blamed  rascals  have 
quartered  themselves  in  and  about  our  cottage." 

"Let  us  get  nearer  and  see  if  it  be  possible  to  ap- 
proach the  pine  trees, ' '  said  de  Langres  in  an  eager 
whisper. 

"Sartain,  that's  what  I  was  meanin'  to  do.  This 
way  !"  The  two  crept  cautiously  along,  skulking  fear- 
fully in  the  thick  shadows  of  trees  and  shrubs  ;  now  and 
then  crawling  on  their  hands  and  knees  through  the  more 
open  spaces.  In  this  way  they  gradually  approached 
the  neighborhood  of  the  giant  pines.  They  soon  dis- 
covered to  their  dismay  that  the  camp-fire  which  they 
had  seen,  was  between  the  cottage  and  the  trees,  so  near 
that  one  in  the  crow's  nest  could  easily  have  tossed  a 
pebble  into  its  glowing  depths.  Around  the  fire  lay  a 
number  of  dark  forms. 

Winters  stopped  short.  "  Now  if  they  be  all  asleep  !" 
he  whispered  to  his  companion,  "we'll  make  a  break 
for  the  trees.  Dash  it ! — no ;  the  blamed  rascals  have 
posted  sentries. ' '  And  he  dodged  back  behind  some 
bushes,  dragging  his  companion  with  him. 
220 


THE  SENTRIES 

The  two  men  lay  silent,  hardly  daring  to  breathe,  as 
one  of  the  marines  passed  so  near  their  hiding-place 
that  they  could  see  his  face  distinctly  in  the  wavering 
firelight. 

"  What  do  you  say  to  overhauling  him  when  he  gits 
back  next  time?"  whispered  Winters,  as  the  sentry 
again  disappeared  behind  the  cottage.  ' '  We  could 
batten  down  his  hatches  and  leave  him  here ;  or  I 
could  silence  his  guns  altogether  with  this  'ere  knife." 

"It  is  not  to  be  thought  of,"  hastily  replied  his  com- 
panion. "  There  is  scarcely  a  chance  in  a  thousand  but 
that  he  would  yell  before  we  succeeded  in  overpowering 
him  ;  we  should  be  seized  and — voila  !  Better  let  him 
pass  again,  then  while  he  is  beyond  we  will  get  up  the 
tree  as  noiselessly  as  possible.  I  must  know  whether 
they  are  safe  ! ' ' 

"Thar"  11  be  no  chance  of  gittin'  the  women -folks 
down  and  into  the  cave  yonder,"  said  Winters. — 
"  Here  he  comes  agin  !" 

The  sentry  emerged  from  behind  the  cottage  yawning 
portentously,  and  grumbling  to  himself  about  the  use- 
lessness  of  his  job  as  he  passed  the  listeners. 

"Now!"  whispered  the  Huguenot  as  the  marine 
turned  his  back ;  the  two  crept  silently  toward  the 
nearest  tree  in  the  group.  In  another  instant  they  had 
commenced  their  perilous  ascent,  clinging  with  fingers 
and  toes  to  the  rough  bark  of  the  great  trunk.  The 
Huguenot,  being  the  younger  and  more  agile  of  the 
two,  had  already  gained  the  lower  limbs  of  the  tree, 
but  Winters  had  still  a  good  piece  to  climb  when  the 
marine  reappeared  from  behind  the  cottage  and  came 
directly  towards  them. 

It  was  impossible  to  retain  his  hold  without  continuing 

221 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

to  ascend,  as  the  old  sailor  well  knew.  Trusting  there- 
fore to  the  great  trunk  to  conceal  him,  he  kept  on  des- 
perately, and  had  almost  reached  the  spot  where  the 
Huguenot  was  awaiting  him  in  an  agony  of  impatience, 
when  unfortunately  his  foot  slipped ;  at  the  same  in- 
stant a  piece  of  bark  to  which  he  was  clinging  gave 
way,  and  he  fell  heavily  to  the  ground,  a  distance  of 
some  twenty  feet,  striking  amid  a  clump  of  bushes  which 
clustered  about  the  foot  of  the  tree. 


222 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

AT   SEA 

BAILLOT  found  his  spirits  rising  with  every  foot 
which  the  good  horse  under  him  put  between  him  and 
Warham  castle.  He  felt  in  the  holsters,  and  found 
therein  a  brace  of  pistols,  which  he  transferred  to  his 
belt.  The  night  was  slightly  overcast,  yet  not  so  dark 
but  that  he  could  discern  the  road  winding  dimly  before 
him,  bordered  with  hedge-rows  and  groups  of  trees  on 
either  side.  Behind  him  rose  the  castle,  every  window 
ablaze  with  festive  lights. 

Having  proceeded  about  a  mile  or  thereabouts  as 
nearly  as  he  could  judge,  he  drew  rein  and  began  to 
look  carefully  for  the  cross-road  which  St.  Clair  had 
mentioned.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  in  his  quest 
when  the  sound  of  voices  warned  him  that  some  one 
was  coming.  He  looked  about  him  once  more,  and 
seeing  that  there  was  nothing  for  it  save  to  advance,  he 
spurred  on  his  horse,  intending  to  pass  the  approaching 
horsemen  at  a  gallop. 

"Hold,  friend!"  cried  a  loud  authoritative  voice. 
The  speaker  wheeled  as  he  spoke  directly  in  front  of 
Baillot.  "Your  name  and  business,  sir." 

"  By  what  right  do  you  stop  a  traveller  on  the  high- 
way ?' '  said  Baillot,  answering  the  question  by  another. 

"We  are  not  here  to  bandy  words,"  said  the  man 
sternly  ;  ' '  your  name  and  errand  at  once. ' ' 

Baillot  perceived  by  a  struggling  moonbeam  that  his 
223 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

questioner  was  heavily  armed.  "  I  am  a  messenger  from 
Warham  castle  charged  with  a  weighty  commission,"  he 
said  boldly.  "  Hold  me  at  your  peril !" 

The  man  who  had  accosted  him  seemed  somewhat 
staggered  by  this  declaration,  for  he  fell  back  and  con- 
ferred with  one  of  his  companions  in  a  whisper. 

"You  shall  go  back  to  Warham  with  us,"  he  an- 
nounced presently  with  an  air  of  decision;  "if  what 
you  say  is  true,  you  shall  go  your  ways  at  once." 

"But  the  time,"  urged  Baillot,  " — I  am  not  per- 
mitted to  waste  an  instant.  You  are  doing  something 
both  stupid  and  unwarrantable  in  detaining  me.  I  pray 
you  let  me  pass,  gentlemen." 

The  man  stared  at  him  without  speaking,  and  Baillot 
rightly  judging  him  to  be  a  country  sheriff,  and  his 
companions  but  armed  plowmen,  plunged  suddenly 
through  their  midst,  and  pounded  away  down  the  high- 
way. He  heard  voices  calling  upon  him  to  stop,  and 
lay  forward  upon  his  horse's  neck,  momentarily  expect- 
ing to  hear  the  whiz  of  a  pistol -ball  above  his  head. 
But  to  his  surprise  his  pursuers  did  not  fire,  and  after 
half  an  hour  of  hard  riding  the  sounds  of  their  shouts 
and  the  clatter  of  their  horses'  hoofs  began  to  grow 
fainter.  "lam  gaining  on  them!"  he  thought  with 
satisfaction.  Ten  minutes  more  and  he  drew  rein  and 
listened.  He  could  hear  nothing.  "  I  have  passed  the 
cross-road  long  ago,"  he  thought.  "  I  must  go  back  ; 
it  will  never  do  for  the  sun  to  find  me  on  English 
soil." 

Springing  to  the  ground  he  gave  his  horse  a  slash 
with  the  bridle  which  sent  him  flying  down  the  high- 
way ;  then  slipping  through  the  hedge  be  began  to  run 
in  the  opposite  direction  as  fast  as  his  feet  could  carry 
224 


AT  SEA 

him  over  the  plowed  ground.  He  had  not  gone  far 
when  he  heard  his  pursuers  in  full  gallop  ;  they  passed 
him  where  he  crouched  motionless  behind  the  hedge. 

' '  Now  for  it ! "  he  muttered  under  his  breath  as  the 
sound  died  away  in  the  distance,  and  emerging  upon 
the  highway  he  laid  his  heels  smartly  to  the  ground, 
keeping  out  a  sharp  eye  meanwhile  for  the  cross-road. 
A  sudden  turn  in  the  highway  brought  him  face  to  face 
with  another  group  of  horsemen,  who  hailed  him 
loudly : 

' '  Hold,  there  !  tell  us  where  you  are  bound  in  such 
haste?" 

"I  must  not  stop,  neighbor,"  cried  Baillot,  slacken- 
ing his  pace  a  bit.  "  The  constable  is  ahead  riding  in 
hot  pursuit  of  a  man  whom  he  believes  to  be  the  very 
one  we  are  looking  for.  Get  you  quickly  after  him  !" 

"Ha!"  exclaimed  the  man.  "Well  met,  comrade, 
but  what  is  your  errand  this  way  ?' ' 

Baillot  stopped  short.  "Nay,  that  I  am  bidden  to 
reveal  to  no  man.  I  am  on  my  way  toward  the  castle, 
do  you  not  see,  blockhead  ?' ' 

"  How,  then — "  began  the  man  doubtfully. 

But  Baillot  was  already  out  of  ear -shot,  running  at 
full  speed  as  before.  His  questioners  after  staring 
stupidly  after  him  for  a  full  minute  went  their  way. 

By  the  glimmer  of  a  finger-post  on  his  right,  Baillot 
perceived  that  he  had  at  last  reached  the  cross-road, 
which  he  had  passed  without  notice  in  the  excitement 
of  the  pursuit. 

Plunging  down  it  as  rapidly  as  he  was  able  for  the 
sand,  into  which  he  sank  ankle-deep  at  each  step,  he 
soon  heard  the  sound  of  water  running  gently  upon  the 
beach. 

*5  225 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

At  his  approach  a  man  sprang  up  from  beneath  the 
shelter  of  some  bushes. 

' '  You  are  late  ! "  he  whispered.  ' '  I  began  to  fear 
lest  you  were  nabbed.  Look  lively  now,  or  we  shall 
not  be  able  to  get  away  with  the  tide  ! ' ' 

' '  I  was  pursued, ' '  replied  Baillot,  also  in  a  whisper, 
stepping  as  he  spoke  into  a  skiff  which  the  man  had 
pushed  out  into  the  water. 

"The  devil!"  exclaimed  the  other  briefly,  jumping 
in  after  him  and  sending  the  boat  well  out  with  a  strong 
push.  The  little  craft  fairly  flew  over  the  water  under 
the  mighty  strokes  of  the  oarsman,  her  bow  pointing  to- 
ward a  dim  light,  which  Baillot  rightly  judged  to  be 
the  light  of  the  vessel  for  which  they  were  bound. 
They  were  already  several  furlongs  from  the  shore  when 
a  dark  figure  ran  out  from  behind  some  trees,  and  began 
to  gesticulate  wildly.  Baillot  perceived  this,  but  he  said 
nothing  to  the  man  with  the  oars.  In  another  moment 
they  had  reached  the  side  of  the  vessel ;  both  men 
climbed  quickly  onto  her  deck,  the  skiff  was  hauled  up, 
and  the  sails  set  with  great  swiftness,  but  in  perfect 
silence,  at  which  Baillot  inwardly  marvelled. 

During  the  process  of  getting  under  way  Baillot  had 
stood  silent  at  the  rail ;  no  one  had  spoken  to  him,  and 
he  was  on  the  point  of  asking  one  of  the  sailors  to  point 
out  the  captain  that  he  might  inquire  what  sort  of  ac- 
commodation the  vessel  was  likely  to  afford  for  the 
night,  when  a  heavy  hand  fell  upon  his  shoulder,  and  a 
harsh  voice  exclaimed  in  his  ear  : 

"Getting  your  wind,  cap'n?     Morbleu  !  but  you're 

in  luck  to  get  off  !     Come  below,  I'll  give  you  a  sup  of 

something  I  brought  aboard  with  me — a  present  from 

you  know  who. ' '     And  the  speaker  laughed  with  a  sound 

226 


AT  SEA 

as  discordant  and  unmirthful  as  a  human  laugh  could 
well  be. 

Much  surprised  at  the  peculiar  way  in  which  the  man 
had  accosted  him,  the  young  Huguenot  followed  across 
the  deck  and  down  the  companion-way.  The  dim  flare 
of  a  lantern  which  was  secured  to  the  wall  of  the  stair- 
way shone  directly  upon  the  gigantic  figure  of  his  guide  ; 
Baillot  noticed  with  astonishment  the  long  grizzled  locks 
which  fell  about  his  shoulders  and  the  scarlet  sash  twisted 
about  his  middle.  "  A  strange-looking  sailor  for  a  ves- 
sel of  this  class, ' '  he  thought,  as  his  eye  took  in  these 
details. 

"Did  you  get  what  you  went  for,  cap'n?"  said  the 
man  entering  the  cabin  and  reaching  to  turn  up  the  wick 
of  a  smoky  oil  lamp.  He  turned  as  he  spoke  and  fixed 
his  eyes  upon  Baillot.  His  jaw  dropped,  he  opened  his 
mouth  as  if  to  speak,  but  only  gulped  spasmodically 
once  or  twice.  Then  he  took  a  step  forward  as  if  to 
leave  the  cabin. 

Baillot,  whose  wits  had  not  been  idle,  perceived  this 
movement ;  he  sprang  forward,  raising  his  hand  imper- 
atively. He  had  resolved  on  a  bold  part. 

"Stop,  sir  !"  he  said  sternly.  "Another  step  with- 
out my  permission  and  you  are  a  dead  man  !" 

"Who  the  devil  are  you?"  sneered  the  man,  whip- 
ping out  a  poniard  and  continuing  his  progress  toward 
the  door. 

Without  a  word  Baillot  sprang  upon  him,  wrenched 
the  poniard  from  his  grasp,  hurled  it  across  the  cabin, 
then  twisting  one  leg  quickly  behind  his  gigantic  adver- 
sary hurled  him  violently  to  the  floor.  All  this  was 
done  in  a  twinkling,  and  before  the  fellow  had  time  to 
recover  from  the  surprise  of  this  totally  unexpected 
227 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

assault,  Baillot  had  clapped  the  muzzle  of  a  pistol  to  his 
head. 

"  Be  silent,  until  I  have  spoken  !" 

"  You've  got  me,"  muttered  the  man,  a  savage 
light  shining  in  his  small  deep-set  eyes.  "Say  on  !" 

"You  expected  to  find  in  me  your  captain.  Look 
at  me  well ;  I  am  your  captain  from  this  hour.  Hold  ! ' ' 
as  the  man  again  attempted  to  speak.  ' '  You  wish  to 
know  what  has  become  of  the  other.  That  does  not 
concern  you.  I  am  here  in  his  stead.  You  will  obey 
me."  He  then  withdrew  a  few  steps  still  holding  the 
pistol  in  his  hand.  "  Get  up." 

The  man  obeyed  sullenly.  "Who  are  you,  and  how 
did  you  come  here  ?' ' 

"  You  brought  me  to  the  ship.  Obey  me,  well ;  dis- 
obey, die  ! ' ' 

"  But,"  exclaimed  the  sailor  with  a  look  of  involun- 
tary admiration  at  the  sinewy  frame  and  stern  dark  face 
before  him,  "suppose  I  kill  you  first?  What  is  to 
hinder?" 

"You  will  not  kill  me  first." 

"  You  are  at  least  mortal,"  sneered  the  other,  " — and 
you  are  not  wanted  here."  He  was  edging  his  way  as 
he  spoke  in  the  direction  of  his  poniard,  which  was 
sticking  in  the  wall  of  the  cabin. 

Baillot  perceived  that  he  had  no  ordinary  man  to  deal 
with ;  therefore,  at  the  risk  of  calling  down  a  swarm 
of  the  crew  from  above,  he  fired  his  pistol  at  the  arm 
of  the  sailor  just  as  he  raised  it  to  grasp  the  handle  of 
the  weapon.  Dropping  his  hand  with  a  howl  of 
mingled  rage  and  pain  the  fellow  rushed  forward  like 
an  enraged  bull. 

Stepping  quietly  to  one  side,  the  young  Huguenot 
228 


AT  SEA 

again  caught  his  adversary  about  the  middle,  and  again 
succeeded  in  hurling  him  violently  to  the  floor. 

"Is  it  enough?  Will  you  obey?  Or  must  I  break 
every  bone  of  your  body  as  I  have  broken  your  arm  ?' ' 

"I  will  obey,"  he  said  sullenly,  scowling  with  pain. 

"Very  well  then,  get  up.  But  I  give  you  fair  warn- 
ing that  my  patience  with  you  is  well-nigh  exhausted ; 
one  more  rebellious  word,  and  there  will  be  another  first 
mate  on  this  vessel." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  do?"  growled  the  man, 
rising  rather  unsteadily  to  his  feet. 

"Firsthand  me  that  poniard,"  said  Baillot,  coolly 
proceeding  to  reload  the  pistol  which  he  had  just  fired. 
The  man  obeyed.  "  Good  !  Now  go  before  me  to  the 
deck  and  call  the  crew  together,  I  wish  to  speak  with 
them." 

"I  may  as  well  have  it  out  with  them,"  he  thought 
to  himself,  "  or  they  will  poniard  me  before  morning." 

Arrived  on  deck,  the  mate,  as  Baillot  had  rightly 
judged  him  to  be,  commanded  the  crew  to  assemble  in 
the  waist  of  the  ship.  Baillot  stood  at  the  rail  watch- 
ing them  as  they  sauntered  up  by  twos  and  threes.  The 
clouds  had  dispersed  by  this  time,  and  the  moon  riding 
high  in  the  heavens  shone  boldly  on  the  villanous 
faces,  glittering  knives  and  scarlet  caps  of  the  thirty  ruf- 
fians which  made  up  the  crew. 

"Men!"  began  Baillot  in  a  loud  clear  voice,  "I 
have  called  you  together  to  tell  you  that  from  this  time 
forward  I  am  your  captain."  A  low  growl  interrupted 
him  at  this  point,  and  several  voices  shouted  "Over- 
board with  him  !"  but  no  one  stirred  to  make  good  the 
threat,  for  the  mate  with  a  threatening  gesture  shouted 
"Hear  him  out  !" 

229 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

MASTER   AND   MAN 

"  Do  you  say  that,  mate  ?  What  do  you  know  about 
this  'ere  swab?  How  did  he  come  here?"  broke  in  an 
undersized  man,  whose  broad  black  brows  marking  an 
unbroken  line  directly  across  his  face,  gave  him  a  pecu- 
liarly savage  and  brutal  look. 

"Hear  him  out,  I  say  !"  repeated  the  mate  with  a 
furtive  glance  at  Baillot. 

"What  you  want,  men,  is  plunder,"  went  on  Baillot, 
and  a  deep  chorus  of  "  Ay,  ays,"  greeted  this  assertion. 
"  Your  captain  has  always  taken  the  lion's  share — " 

"Ay,  that  he  has!" 

"  He  was  a  greedy,  cruel  cut-throat — " 

"A  fine  gentleman!"  bawled  the  undersized  man. 
"A  spy!" 

"  A  spy  !"  cried  Baillot.  "  Would  I  come  into  your 
midst  were  I  a  spy  ?  No,  men,  I  am  not  a  spy.  Hark 
you  !  Two  months  since  I  was  shipwrecked  in  a  region 
of  the  ocean  not  many  leagues  from  the  Azores,  and 
with  four  of  my  mates  was  cast  onto  a  certain  island. 
On  this  island  we  found  a  great  castle,  empty  of  inhabi- 
tants, yet  crammed  with  all  sorts  of  valuables  :  we  will 
go  there  ;  the  booty  shall  be  yours. ' ' 

The  pirates  looked  at  one  another.  This  was  a  strange 
tale ;  but  there  was  also  something  strangely  convincing 
in  the  face  and  manner  of  the  man  who  had  told  it. 
They  were  half  inclined  to  believe  it. 

230 


MASTER  AND  MAN 

"  How  came  you  here  ?     Where  are  the  others?" 

Baillot  expected  this  question.  He  realized  that  he 
had  not  put  his  case  very  skilfully.  "  But,  mafoi"  he 
said  to  himself,  "  I  am  not  a  lawyer  nor  yet  a  profes- 
sional liar — which  is  perhaps  the  same  thing.  I  have 
been  forced  into  a  cruel  dilemma ;  God  grant  me  wis- 
dom to  deal  with  these  cut -throats. " 

"Ay,  ay  !"  bellowed  the  crew,  closing  in  around  him 
as  he  hesitated.  "  How  did  you  come  here?" 

"  I  have  already  broken  your  mate's  arm  for  presum- 
ing to  question  me,"  said  Baillot  firmly.  "  I  say  now, 
once  and  for  all,  the  island  is  a  prize  worth  trying  for. 
It  shall  be  yours.  Crowd  on  all  sail  and  make  for  the 
Azores  ! ' ' 

There  was  nothing  especially  convincing  in  these 
words,  as  the  pirate  crew  dimly  realized  ;  but  the  voice, 
and  above  all  the  eye  of  the  man  before  them  carried 
that  well-nigh  irresistible  magnetism  which  is  so  com- 
pelling a  power  in  a  personality  born  to  command.  All 
eyes  were  turned  inquiringly  upon  the  mate ;  he  had 
thrust  his  injured  arm  into  his  bosom. 

"Ay,  ay  !"  he  growled  impatiently,  "shake  out  the 
canvas  lively  !  We  may  as  well  do  as  he  says.  Fisher 
is  nabbed  and  he  will  blab  on  the  rest  of  us. " 

"Come  down  to  the  cabin,"  said  Baillot,  addressing 
the  mate  in  French.  ' '  I  will  set  your  arm  ;  it  must  be 
painful." 

"Bon  dieu,  you  are  then  my  compatriot !"  exclaimed 
the  man,  and  Baillot  perceived  that  his  subjugation  was 
complete.  He  retired  to  the  cabin,  convinced  that  for 
the  moment  he  had  nothing  to  fear.  Nevertheless  he 
sat  down  somewhat  gloomily  in  the  dingy  little  place  to 
reflect  upon  his  certainly  dubious  position. 
231 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Suppose  I  succeed  in  compelling  this  precious  crew 
to  take  me  to  the  island  with  my  skin  intact — a  most 
unlikely  supposition  to  begin  with — how  could  I  make 
good  the  escape  of  the  women  ?  Why  in  heaven's  name 
did  I  speak  of  the  island  at  all  ?  Why  did  I  not  rather 
offer  them  gold  to  take  me  to  Terciora  ?  Peste,  I  am  a 
fool.  I  am  in  their  power.  They  will  acquaint  them- 
selves with  my  purse  whenever  it  so  pleases  them. ' ' 

Just  as  he  reached  this  disheartening  conclusion  he 
looked  up  and  saw  the  dark  face  of  the  pirate,  whose 
arm  he  had  wounded  with  his  pistol -ball,  peering  in  at 
the  door. 

"Ah,  my  good  fellow,"  he  said,  realizing  with  un- 
pleasant distinctness  that  the  fellow  might  have  killed 
him  with  the  greatest  ease,  "  your  arm.  I  am  something 
of  a  surgeon,  and  can  make  shift  to  ease  you  of  your 
pain,  since  there  is  no  more  skilled  leech  at  hand. ' '  He 
said  these  words  in  French,  bearing  in  mind  the  man's 
look  when  he  had  so  addressed  him  upon  deck. 

"Morbleu  /"  ejaculated  the  man,  holding  out  his  in- 
jured member  for  inspection.  "I  can  almost  forgive 
you  the  pain,  for  the  joy  it  gives  me  to  hear  once  more 
the  language  of  my  own  country.  How  may  I  call  you, 
sir?" 

"  My  name  is  Henri  Baillot,"  replied  the  young  man, 
examining  the  wounded  arm  with  some  anxiety.  I  fear 
that  I  shall  make  but  a  clumsy  job  of  this ;  'tis  a  bad 
hurt.  But  it  serves  you  right  for  trying  to  poniard  me  ! 
If  you  carry  a  stiff  wrist  for  the  rest  of  your  life,  my 
good  man,  you  will  not  soon  forget  my  name." 

"Tell  me,  from  what  province  are  you?"  said  the  pi- 
rate, staring  hard  at  his  amateur  surgeon,  who  was  en- 
deavoring as  gently  as  possible  to  dress  a  wound  which 
232 


MASTER  AND  MAN 

would  have  taxed  the  wits  of  a  skilled  surgeon.  "• — A 
plague  on  my  arm.  I  shall  heal  of  it ;  I  have  had  a 
thousand  hurts  worse,  they  all  come  right  after  awhile.  I 
am  no  woman  to  mind  the  pain." 

' '  I  perceive  that  you  are  not, ' '  said  Baillot,  pausing 
to  tear  his  cambric  handkerchief  into  strips.  ' '  I  must 
have  hurt  you  confoundedly. ' ' 

"But  your  province.     Are  you  not  from  Beam?" 

"  I  am  from  Beam  ;  and  what  then  ?' ' 

' '  Ah,  monsieur,  you  would  never  remember  Gaston 
Goujet,  and  yet  I  lived  many  years  on  your  father's  es- 
tate. My  father,  Pierre  Goujet,  was  the  bailiff.  I  ran 
away  to  sea  when  I  was  sixteen.  You  were  then  but  a 
child." 

"What!  Is  it  so?"  exclaimed  Baillot,  " — Gaston 
Goujet !  'Tis  true  that  I  had  forgotten  you ;  but  my 
mother  has  often  told  me  how  you  rescued  me  from 
drowning. ' ' 

' '  Yes,  man  dieu,  it  is  true.  You  had  escaped  from 
your  nurse  and  were  playing  on  the  brink  of  a  pool  in 
the  forest.  I  stood  behind  a  tree  watching ;  suddenly 
you  reached  forward  too  far  and  fell  in  with  a  scream. 
The  water  closed  over  you.  I  stood  still.  I  hated  you. 
Why  should  you  live  to  be  a  lord,  to  ride  fine  horses,  to 
lie  soft  and  eat  luxuriously,  while  I  could  never  be  other 
than  what  nature  made  me,  fit  only  to  receive  the  kicks 
and  abuse  of  those  better  born  than  myself?"  The 
man's  face  grew  dark,  and  he  turned  a  look  of  sullen 
rage  upon  Baillot  who  was  just  finishing  the  bandaging 
of  his  arm. 

"It  is  completed,  my  good  Gaston,"  said  the  young 
man  composedly.  "You  did  not  wish  to  save  me, 
but—" 

233 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

The  pirate  sighed  profoundly  and  shook  his  great 
shoulders.  "I  hated,  yes,  but  thank  God,  I  did  not 
commence  my  career  of  murder  then.  You  rose  to  the 
surface  of  the  pool,  and  raising  your  hands,  which 
gleamed  white  and  dimpled  in  the  sunlight,  cried  for 
help.  I  hesitated  no  longer,  but  plunged  in  and  brought 
you  safely  to  land.  Your  mother,  sweet  saint,  loaded 
me  with  thanks  and  benefits.  She  idolized  you;  you 
were  her  only  child.  Had  she  lived  all  would  have  been 
well  with  me,  but  the  following  year  she  died.  Your 
father  was  a  hard  man.  I  was  caught  poaching.  He  did 
not  put  me  to  death,  nor  even  mutilate  me,  because  I 
had  saved  his  son's  life,  he  said.  But  he  caused  me  to  be 
beaten,  and  again  hatred  broke  loose  in  my  heart,  tear- 
ing me  like  a  thousand  devils.  I  ran  away  to  sea,  but 
kicks  and  blows  followed  me.  Once  the  boatswain 
struck  me  across  the  face.  I  threw  him  into  the  sea  that 
night.  It  was  dark,  the  waves  running  mountains  high. 
It  was  thought  that  he  had  been  swept  overboard.  I 
alone  knew  better.  On  another  vessel  the  captain  was 
a  foul-mouthed  tyrant.  We  hung  him  to  the  mast. 
The  ship  became  ours,  but  she  was  clumsy  and  slow,  and 
we  made  haste  to  obtain  a  better  by  seizing  this  vessel. 
Her  crew  went  over  the  side.  The  Rouge  et  Noir  is  a 
lucky  vessel.  I  am  no  longer  under  the  lash.  I — But 
why  do  I  tell  all  this  to  you  !  Why  are  you  here,  mon- 
sieur ?' ' 

Baillot  had  listened  with  profound  attention  to  this 
recital.  He  saw  that  in  this  man  lay  his  only  hope  of 
safety.  He  had  been  deeply  affected  by  the  look  on  the 
man's  face  when  he  had  spoken  of  his  dead  mother, 
the  lovely  Comtesse  de  Lantenac,  whose  sweet  face  he 
dimly  remembered  as  a  vision  of  an  angel.  "  Fortune 
234 


MASTER  AND  MAN 

has  used  me  little  better,  my  Gaston,"  he  said.  "I 
am  a  fugitive  and  a  wanderer.  Once  more  I  appeal  to 
you  for  aid.  I  trust  you  because  you  loved  my 
mother." 

"Yes,  I  loved  her,"  said  the  man  huskily.  "She 
was  the  only  human  being  that  I  ever  loved.  Nay,  she 
was  more  than  human,  I  swear ;  she  was  an  angel  of 
God.  For  her  sake  I  will  do  what  I  can  for  you — the 
saints  be  my  witness  ! ' '  And  he  bent  and  kissed  the 
outstretched  hand  of  the  young  count. 

' '  My  father  lived  many  years  after  the  time  you  have 
spoken  of,"  said  Baillot  after  a  pause;  "naturally 
gloomy  and  taciturn  he  became  more  and  more  morose 
after  the  death  of  my  mother.  Like  all  who  ever  came 
in  contact  with  her,  he  idolized  her,  and  I  believe  he 
never  loved  any  one  else.  At  all  events  he  seemed  to 
care  little  for  me.  I  was  sent  to  Paris  to  be  educated, 
and  so  grew  up  a  stranger  to  home,  and  yet  among 
those  who  taught  me  what  honor  was,  what  loyalty  was, 
both  to  my  God  and  to  my  country.  I  was  under  the 
care  of  an  excellent  man,  a  Huguenot.  Under  his  roof 
I  made  many  good  friends,  and  I  likewise  got  all  the 
good  that  Paris  could  give  with  very  little  of  the  evil. 
After  a  time,  through  the  influence  of  my  father,  I  en- 
tered the  navy,  a  career  I  had  always  longed  for.  I 
served  until  France  was  shaken  to  her  centre  by  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  I  was  called  upon 
to  renounce  the  faith  of  my  fathers ;  I  refused  and  was 
condemned  to  the  galleys.  Just  before  the  sentence  was 
enforced,  however,  I  made  my  escape.  I  made  haste  to 
look  for  my  father,  who  was  by  this  time  an  aged  man  ; 
but  I  found  upon  my  arrival  in  BdJarn  that  he  was  dead 
of  a  stroke  of  apoplexy,  induced  by  the  quartering  of  a 
235 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

body  of  dragoons  in  his  chateau.  He  had  been  buried 
secretly  by  night  by  one  or  two  faithful  servants.  The 
chateau  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  soldiery  ;  they  had 
sacked  it  from  top  to  bottom,  committing  every  possible 
outrage.  Peyrade,  the  faithful  servant  of  my  father, 
who  alone  had  stood  by  his  death-bed,  had  in  his  pos- 
session certain  papers  with  which  my  father  had  en- 
trusted him  for  me,  should  I  ever  appear  to  claim  them. 
Among  them  I  found  a  title-deed  to  lands  in  America. 
Having  no  longer  a  home  in  France,  a  penniless  out- 
cast, hunted  and  condemned,  I  resolved  to  fly  to  the 
new  world.  I  embarked  as  a  common  sailor  on  the  bark 
WJiite  Gull  from  Southampton,  whither  I  had  succeeded 
in  making  my  way.  The  rest  is  as  I  have  said.  I  was 
shipwrecked  with  four  companions  on  an  unknown 
island.  To  rescue  those  companions  and  afterward  to 
get  to  America  is  what  I  wish  to  do. ' ' 

"  But  you  have  not  yet  told  me  how  you  came  to  be 
aboard  the  Rouge  et  Noir"  said  Goujet,  who  had  list- 
ened to  this  story  with  an  impenetrable  air. 

"True,  I  have  not,  and  in  order  to  do  that,  I  must 
tell  you  how  I  came  to  leave  the  island."  And  as 
briefly  as  possible  he  outlined  his  mysterious  removal 
from  the  chateau,  his  voyage  and  his  stay  in  England, 
ending  with  the  escape  of  the  previous  night.  He  did 
not,  however,  give  the  names  of  his  abductors,  and  in 
the  telling  suppressed  as  much  of  the  detail  as  possible. 
"  I  was  told  that  I  would  find  a  skiff  awaiting  me,"  he 
said  as  he  finished  the  recital.  "I  found  it,  and  was 
conveyed  to  this  vessel.  You  know  the  rest." 

The  pirate  passed  his  hand  slowly  across  his  forehead 
as  if  in  deep  thought.  "You  took  the  wrong  skiff," 
he  said  at  length.  "  I  killed  the  man  who  was  waiting 
236 


MASTER  AND  MAN 

for  you.     I  took  him  for  an  accursed  spy.     But  what 
then  became  of  Fisher  ?' ' 

"He  came  to  the  beach  just  after  we  embarked," 
said  Baillot  boldlv.  "I  saw  him:  I  did  not  tell 
you. ' ' 


237 


CHAPTER   XXIX 

THE   PIRATES 

"Ay!"  quoth  Goujet  with  a  short  laugh,  "you  did 
not  tell  me,  and  yet  it  would  have  been  better  for  you 
had  you  done  so." 

"Why?" 

"  I  should  have  killed  you,  and  returned  for  Fisher." 

"  Granting  that  you  are  correct  in  the  statement,  why 
would  that  have  been  better  for  me  ?' ' 

' '  Because  then  you  would  have  died  quickly  and 
easily.  Now — unless  I  can  make  shift  to  save  you  from 
my  shipmates — you  will  die  in  a  different  fashion  and, 
morbleu  !  'twill  give  you  a  bad  quarter  of  an  hour." 

"You  would  not  have  killed  me  so  easily  as  you 
think,  my  good  Gaston,  but  on  the  other  hand  I  might 
have  been  left  to  manage  the  boat  alone,  boarded  the 
wrong  vessel,  and  so  have  found  myself  among  pirates 
with  no  ally  and  friend  such  as  you  to  aid  me.  Tell 
me,  am  I  not  a  better  man  than  Fisher  ?' ' 

"You  are,  I  swear  it.  Fisher  is  all  that  you  have 
said,  and  worse  ;  but  how  did  you  know  it  ?' ' 

"I  guessed  it.  I  know  something  of  the  ways  of 
'gentlemen  of  fortune,'  as  you  call  yourselves.  If 
then  I  am  a  better  man  than  Fisher,  I  am  also  a  better 
commander,  and  what  is  to  hinder  us  from  managing 
this  crew  ?' ' 

Goujet  did  not  answer.  He  seemed  lost  in  thought. 
At  length  he  arose,  and  bringing  down  his  uninjured 
233 


THE  PIRATES 

hand  upon  the  table  with  a  thwack,   exclaimed,   "It 
must  be  done! — Ha!  ha!   'tis  a  pretty  mischance  for 
Fisher.      His  neck  will  doubtless  stretch  at  the  next 
assizes.     He  will  think  that  I  did  it  out  of  revenge. 
Mafoi!  for  once  I  was  a  better  man  than  I  might  have 
been,  for  I  had  no  thought  of  playing  him  false.     Let 
the  Englishman  swing ;  he  has  deserved  it,  not  once, 
but  a  thousand  times.     I  will  tell  you  though  that  it 
will  be  no  child's  play  to  keep  the  breath  in  our  nos- 
trils for  the  next  few  days.     Do  you  know,  that  after 
you  threw  me  the  second  time  and  I  promised  to  obey 
— though,  man  dieu  !  I  did  not  mean  it,  save  for  the 
instant — when  you  proposed  to  speak   to  the  crew  I 
thought  to  myself,  this  fine  loud -talking  gentleman  has 
now  but  three  minutes  to  live.     For  as  sure  as  I  stand 
here,   I  believed  that  they  would  walk  you  over  the 
plank  at  the  first  word.      How  you  managed  to  quiet 
them  I  do  not  know,  but  they  will  not  remain  quiet, 
mark  me  !     There  are  at  least  two  of  them  who  will  be 
determined  to  be  captain  now  that  Fisher  is  gone.     We 
shall  hear  from  them. ' ' 

' '  Do  not  let  us  wait  to  hear  from  them.  Do  you 
know  which  these  are  ?' ' 

^ytefeqairfw 

' '  We  will  put  them  in  irons  at  once. ' ' 

"Easier  said  than  done,  my  master.  You  are  not 
dealing  with  marines,  who  have  but  a  single  idea  in 
their  stupid  heads  and  that  to  obey.  Every  one  of 
these  men  is  such  as  I."  And  the  pirate  shook  his 
great  shoulders  and  looked — what  he  was,  a  creature 
scarcely  less  dangerous  than  an  animal  possessed  with 
rabies. 

"We  must  put  them  in  irons,"  repeated  Baillot, 
239 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"and  we  must  do  it  now.     The  others  will  obey  us. 
Who  is  the  ringleader  among  the  men  ?' ' 

"An  Englishman  named  Lock." 

"Very  well,  I  will  retire  to  this  cabin  on  the  left,  I 
am  sleeping.  Call  Lock  to  the  cabin.  Talk  with  him 
of  me.  He  will  propose  to  assassinate  me.  Agree  to 
this.  Let  him  advance  toward  the  cabin  where  I  am ; 
seize  him  from  behind ;  snatch  the  poniard  from  his 
hand.  I  will  do  the  rest.  Should  you  fail  to  succeed," 
he  added  significantly,  "you  will  not  forget  that  I  am 
armed,  and  that  I  never  miss  my  aim. ' ' 

"You  do  not  trust  me,  master!"  cried  the  pirate. 
"  I  will  be  true  to  you  for  the  sake  of  your  mother — I 
swear  it.  Le  ban  Dieu  knows  that  I  speak  the  truth 
for  once  ! ' ' 

"  I  believe  you,"  said  Baillot  simply,  but  in  a  tone 
which  seemed  to  satisfy  Goujet.  "Now,  I  go,"  he 
added,  "  — I  sleep  ;  get  you  on  deck  and  fetch  Lock." 

Goujet  immediately  disappeared. 

He  came  back  accompanied  by  the  undersized  man 
with  the  thick  eyebrows,  who  had  proposed  to  throw 
overboard  the  man  who  had  so  strangely  claimed  the 
command  of  the  Rouge  et  Noir. 

"  Where  is  he?"  he  asked  in  a  hissing  whisper,  as  he 
entered  the  cabin. 

"Asleep,"  replied  Goujet,  " — drunk,"  he  added 
with  a  wink,  producing  as  he  spoke  a  black  bottle  and 
a  brace  of  cups.  "  I  plied  him  with  this.  Not  a  bad 
drink ;  try  it,  mate. ' ' 

"Drunk?"  said  the  other    smacking    his  lips  after 

emptying  his  cup  at  a  single  gulp.      "  Ha  !  as  good  as 

dead  then.      We  will  drop  him  astern.      Who    is   he 

to  force  himself  among  us?    I'll  be  blessed  if  ever  I 

240 


THE  PIRATES 

clapped  eyes  on  him  afore.  I  say,  mate,  you  know  I'm 
cap'n,  don't  you?  You'll  stand  up  for  me — hey?  You 
shall  be  second  in  command  as  you  are  now;  more'n 
that  you  couldn't  hope  to  be.  If  Mateo  gets  it — the 
bloody  scoundrel ! — he'll  make  you  walk  the  plank. 
He  swears  he  will,  ay — and  torture  you  into  the  bar- 
gain ;  he  hates  you, — since  you  know  when."  And 
the  speaker  paused  to  pour  himself  another  cup  of  the 
liquor. 

"I'm  your  friend,  Goujet,"  he  resumed  whiningly. 
"  Swelp  me,  I'm  your  friend,  and  if  I'm  cap'n,  Mateo 
shan't  touch  a  hair  of  your  head.  You  shall  do  what 
you  like  with  him  ;  you  shall  hang  him  to  the  mast-head 
inside  of  an  hour  and  no  one  to  hinder. ' ' 

Goujet  gave  a  savage  growl,  like  the  beast  of  prey  that 
he  was.  "  That's  all  very  well ;  but  the  other  must  be 
fixed  first." 

"Ay!  Goujet,  my  good  friend,  so  he  must!  Shall 
we  hock  him  and  drop  him  overboard  now  he  is  drunk, 
or  save  him  for  a  little  sport  to-morrow?  Let  us  save 
him  ;  'twill  be  a  pretty  way  for  me  to  begin — ay  !  and 
a  warning  to  any  who  think  to  disobey  me, ' '  he  added 
with  an  ugly  look  at  Goujet. 

' '  The  man  is  no  coward, ' '  said  Goujet  slowly. 
"There  will  be  plenty  of  sport  later.  Then  there  is 
Mateo.  Best  make  a  sure  thing  of  it  to-night. ' ' 

"Poniard?" 

"  Ay.  Do  it  now  while  he  sleeps.  No  one  so  neat- 
handed  as  you,  mate,  for  a  job  like  this.  He's  yonder," 
with  a  jerk  of  his  thumb  over  the  shoulder. 

Lock  arose,  a  gratified  grin  overspreading  his  counte- 
nance at  the  apparent  compliance  of  the  mate,  and  be- 
gan tiptoeing  his  way  across  the  floor. 
16  241 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Goujet  followed  in  a  leisurely  fashion,  as  if  to  see 
that  the  deed  was  properly  accomplished,  but  just  as 
Lock  was  about  to  enter  the  door,  he  sprang  forward 
and  snatched  the  weapon  from  his  hand,  exclaiming  in 
a  low  mocking  voice  : 

"  Hold  !  my  would-be  captain,  this  poniard  of  yours 
is  not  sharp  enough  to  kill  yonder  gentleman  !" 

Lock  turned  in  a  fury,  at  the  same  instant  Baillot 
sprang  upon  him  from  behind,  mastered  him  with  ease, 
gagged  him  securely,  and  after  manacling  him  hand  and 
foot,  tossed  him  unceremoniously  into  the  bunk. 

' '  Now  for  the  other, ' '  he  said,  pausing  to  recover 
breath. 

"Ay,"  growled  Goujet,  "  but  let  us  finish  with  this 
one  first. ' '  And  he  advanced  toward  the  helpless  man, 
brandishing  the  poniard  savagely. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  cried  Baillot,  seizing  him  by 
the  arm. 

"  To  kill  him  of  course.  I  will  do  it,  master,  a  mur- 
der more  or  less  will  make  little  difference  with  my  ac- 
count. ' ' 

"  No,  you  shall  not  do  this  thing.  He  shall  remain 
in  irons — " 

" — Until  some  one  looses  him,  yes.  I  tell  you  he 
must  die.  Would  he  not  have  killed  you  ?' ' 

"Yes,  he  would  have  killed  me,  and  he  doubtless  de- 
serves to  die ;  yet  you  shall  not  put  him  to  death  un- 
judged  and  uncondemned. ' ' 

"Were  he  loose  this  minute,  master,  he  would  kill 
you,  even  though  he  owed  you  his  life.  Look  at  him  ; 
liar — murderer — rat  /' ' 

Baillot  shuddered  in  spite  of  himself  at  the  look  in 
the  eyes  of  the  man  who  lay  bound.  "  Leave  the 

242 


THE  PIRATES 

wretch  as  he  is  for  the  present, ' '  he  said  firmly.  "  Speak 
to  Mateo  ;  we  will  capture  him  in  the  same  way. ' ' 

Without  another  word  Goujet  left  the  cabin,  to  return 
presently  accompanied  by  another  man.  This  worthy 
was  not  over  middle  height  but  evidently  of  immense 
muscular  strength ;  his  hand  was  playing  with  the  hilt 
of  a  dagger  as  he  entered,  and  he  rolled  his  piercing 
eyes  suspiciously  about  the  cabin. 

"Sit  down,  mate,"  said  Goujet,  with  a  hospitable 
wave  of  the  hand,  "and  wet  your  coppers  a  bit,  while 
we  talk  of  this  queerish  bit  of  business  of  losing  our 
cap'n  and  getting  a  fine  gentleman  in  his  place. " 

The  Italian  looked  greedily  at  the  bottle,  but  he  did 
not  sit  down. 

"  I  look  first  in  dese  cabins,"  he  said  cautiously.  "  I 
don'  know  where  dat  dam'  Anglais  be. ' ' 

"Who,  Lock?"  said  Goujet  carelessly.  "He's  in 
the  fo'c'sle,  trying  to  talk  the  men  into  making  him 
cap'n.  What  do  you  say  to  having  Lock  over  our 
heads?" 

"I  hate  him!"  hissed  the  Italian.  "I  kill  him — 
see  ?' '  And  he  described  a  significant  gesture  with  the 
dagger. 

"You  hate  me  too,"  said  Goujet  with  a  great  laugh, 
"yet  I'm  the  only  man  aboard  who  can  help  you  to 
the  cap'ncy." 

"I — ?  hate  you? — nevair  !  But  will  you  not  be  de 
capitain  yourself?" 

"I?  No,  peste  f  I  care  too  much  for  my  ease  ;  I 
am  content  as  I  am. ' ' 

"Ah,  you  shall  still  be  first  mate,  and  I  capitain — 
no  one  so  clevair  as  you,  my  friend,  for  first  mate.  I 
do  not  hate  you — no  !  But  Lock — ah — !"  And  the 
243 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Italian  lay  back  in  his  chair  and  passed  his  dagger  from 
ear  to  ear  with  a  ferocious  smile.  "See!"  he  con- 
tinued, " dat  is  what  Lock  do  to  you." 

"Nothing  like  having  a  firm  friend  such  as  you, 
Mateo,"  remarked  Goujet,  filling  the  Italian's  cup. 
"  I  shan't  forget  this  of  you.  I  never  forget." 

"Nor  I,  nevair — nevair /"  murmured  the  Italian. 
"  But  what  has  become  of  the  fine  milor,  who  would  be 
capitain  ?  You  have  quiet  him,  is  it  not  so  ?' ' 

"Not  without  your  orders,  cap'n.  He's  asleep 
yonder. ' ' 

"Asleep? — ha  !  He  will  not  wake  up — no.  I  will 
kill  him.  But  not  until  I  have  kill  you,  for  to  me  you 
have  lied  /' '  And  with  a  snarl  like  that  of  a  wild  beast 
the  Italian  sprang  at  the  half-crippled  man  before 
him. 

Fortunately  for  Goujet  he  succeeded  in  jumping  aside 
quickly  enough  to  avoid  the  blow,  which  had  been 
aimed  directly  at  his  heart.  And  before  the  Italian 
could  recover  himself  for  a  second  lunge  Baillot  had 
fallen  upon  him.  Mateo  turned  with  a  yell,  but  Goujet 
pursuing  the  tactics  which  Baillot  had  suggested,  caught 
him  from  behind,  holding  him  about  the  body  with  a 
grip  like  iron,  while  Baillot  disarmed  him,  not,  how- 
ever, without  receiving  a  flesh  wound  in  his  shoulder 
which  bled  profusely. 

' '  Shoot  him,  master  !  he  has  wounded  you  ! ' '  cried 
Goujet.  " A  peste  on  my  arm!  I  can  do  nothing. 
Ha — the  dog  has  bitten  me  ! ' ' 

The  Italian  fairly  foaming  with  rage  had  twisted  him- 
self about  and  buried  his  sharp  white  teeth  in  Goujet' s 
wounded  arm.  The  pain  was  intense,  and  for  an  in- 
stant the  luckless  Frenchman  tottered  as  though  he 
244 


THE  PIRATES 

would  have  fallen.  In  that  instant,  however,  Baillot 
had  finished  his  conquest,  and  the  wretch  gagged  and 
manacled  lay  helpless  upon  the  floor. 

"I  suppose,  my  merciful  master,  that  you  will  also 
preserve  the  life  of  this  man?"  said  Goujet,  looking 
down  upon  the  prostrate  Italian  with  unutterable 
hatred  in  his  dark  face.  "Dog — coward!"  he  hissed 
through  his  shut  teeth,  and  he  kicked  his  helpless  foe 
savagely. 

"I  might  have  killed  him  in  self-defence,  had  that 
been  necessary,"  said  Baillot;  "but,  voila  !  we  have 
conquered.  He  shall  live. ' ' 


245 


CHAPTER  XXX 

THE   CAPTAIN   OF   THE   ROUGE   ET   NOIR 

"I  SHALL  take  care  that  you  do  not  repent  your 
goodness,  monsieur,"  said  Goujet  with  a  black  look 
at  the  Italian.  "But  one  of  us  must  go  on  deck 
at  once ;  we  have  been  absent  so  long  that  some  mis- 
chief or  other  will  be  brewing.  Hark,  what  is  that  ?' ' 

Baillot,  whose  quick  ear  had  already  caught  some  un- 
usual sound  from  above,  sprang  up  the  stairs  two  at  a 
time,  leaving  Goujet  to  attend  to  the  prisoners. 

For  a  full  minute  that  worthy  stared  hard  at  the 
yellow  face  of  Mateo,  fingering  the  handle  of  his 
poniard  meanwhile  with  an  air  of  relish.  "Ah — my 
good  capitain,"  he  sneered,  "my  brave  capitain,  will 
you  kill  me  now,  or  will  you  kindly  permit  me  to  live 
for  a  little? — 'Tis  no  time  for  such  nonsense!"  he 
muttered  as  he  rolled  the  helpless  Italian  over  and  over 
like  a  log  to  the  cabin  beyond.  "The  only  safe  man 
is  a  dead  man  ;  when  my  young  lord  has  been  a  pirate 
a  bit  longer  he  will  find  that  out  for  himself."  He 
turned  the  key  on  his  prisoners,  after  threatening  them 
both  with  instant  death  should  they  attempt  to  remove 
their  gags. 

He  then  followed  Baillot  upon  deck.  The  excite- 
ment had  been  caused  by  a  sudden  squall ;  the  ill -dis- 
ciplined crew  demoralized  by  the  continued  absence  of 
their  officers,  and  absorbed  furthermore  by  the  plots  and 
counterplots  suggested  by  Lock  and  Mateo,  had  been 
246 


THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  ROUGE  ET  NOIR 

paying  but  scant  attention  to  the  safety  of  the  vessel. 
Baillot  had  taken  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  and  by  a 
series  of  rapid  commands,  which  the  frightened  sailors 
made  haste  to  obey,  had  succeeded  in  making  things 
snug  before  the  tempest  struck  the  ship. 

"  'Tis  only  a  stormlet,  but,  morbleu,  enough  to  send 
us  to  the  bottom,  had  it  struck  us  with  all  our  canvas 
spread,"  said  Goujet  in  the  ear  of  Baillot,  as  he  stood 
with  folded  arms  watching  the  sudden  fury  of  the  sea 
under  the  lash  of  the  storm. 

"The  ship  rides  easily,"  observed  Baillot. 

"  Ay,  sir  !  There's  no  stauncher,  livelier  boat  on  the 
seas  than  this  little  craft,"  said  Goujet,  rolling  his  eyes 
proudly  about  him.  "  We're  well  armed,  eight  guns — 
good  ones,  and  a  plenty  of  powder  and  shot.  If  you 
would  content  these  fellows,  give  them  enough  to  do — 
enough  that  is  of  fighting.  But  let  them  be  idle  ! ' '  and 
he  shook  his  great  shoulders  significantly. 

"We  may  be  forced  to  defend  ourselves,"  said  Bail- 
lot  in  a  non-committal  tone. 

"But  you  will  not  attack;  is  that  what  you  mean, 
master  ?' ' 

"Would  you  have  me  turn  pirate  in  earnest,  my 
Gaston?"  asked  Baillot  with  a  melancholy  smile.  "  Is 
that  a  fit  career  for  a  man  who  is  exiled  from  his  coun- 
try because  of  his  religion  ?' ' 

"  No,  mon  dieu  /  It  is  not.  But  what  then  shall  we 
do?" 

"We  shall  do  what  we  can.  To-day  alone  is  ours, 
to-morrow  is  God's." 

"Ah,  I  see  that  you  are  the  son  of  your  mother," 
cried  Goujet;  "and  she  was  too  good  for  this  foul 
earth." 

247 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"I  do  not  on  that  account  intend  to  take  the  less 
care  of  myself,"  said  Baillot.  "You  yourself  have 
found  that  true  this  very  night. ' ' 

"Yes,  yes,  it  is  true!"  murmured  Goujet,  hugging 
his  wounded  arm  to  his  breast.  "Why  did  you  not 
kill  me?" 

' '  Because  I  saw  that  you  might  prove  useful  to 
me." 

' '  And  so  I  will ;  from  this  day  forth  and  as  long  as 
I  live,  I  am  yours, ' '  exclaimed  Goujet  with  a  look  of 
savage  love,  which  was  almost  terrifying  in  its  intensity. 
"  Look  you,  I  have  sworn  it !" 

"Then  you  will  not  remain  a  pirate." 

"Bon  I    I  hate  the  life." 

The  gale  had  now  swept  to  the  northward  leaving  the 
sea  agitated  and  foam-covered.  Baillot  at  the  earnest 
request  of  Goujet  descended  to  the  cabin,  leaving  the 
mate  in  command.  Marvelling  much  within  himself  at 
the  strange  course  of  his  fortunes  during  the  past  few 
hours,  he  wrapped  his  cloak  about  him  and  lay  down  to 
sleep.  Awaking  after  a  few  hours  of  dream-haunted 
slumber,  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and  ascended  to  the  deck. 
Goujet  was  still  pacing  up  and  down ;  he  turned  on 
seeing  Baillot,  and  approached  him  with  a  respectful 
salute. 

' '  You  have  slept,  master  ?' ' 

' '  Yes,  and  am  refreshed.  I  will  remain  upon  deck 
now  while  you  do  likewise." 

"  The  fog  is  as  thick  as  gruel,"  quoth  Goujet,  linger- 
ing and  seeming  to  devour  the  young  count  with  the 
fire  of  his  glances.  "Ah,"  he  cried,  "you  have  the 
eyes  of  your  mother  ! ' ' 

Baillot  in  his  turn  had  been  looking  fixedly  at  the 
248 


THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  ROUGE  ET  NOIR 

haggard  face  of  the  man  before  him.  It  was  a  face 
seamed  with  the  livid  scars  of  many  a  battle,  and  lined 
with  hatred,  anger  and  fear.  It  was  the  face  of  one 
who  has  suffered  the  tortures  of  the  lost.  In  a  word, 
it  was  the  face  of  a  man  without  love  in  the  world,  and 
therefore  without  hope. 

"You  have  suffered  from  your  wound,  man,"  he 
said  kindly.  "  Go  below  and  rest." 

' '  Ay,  I  have  suffered  !  But,  mon  dieu  !  What  is  a 
scratch  like  this  !  It  is  here  that  I  have  suffered  ! ' '  and 
he  grasped  at  his  breast  as  if  he  would  fain  tear  out  the 
throbbing  heart  within,  and  hurl  it  into  the  sea.  Then 
he  turned  suddenly,  and  plunged  down  the  stairway. 

"God!"  murmured  Baillot,  "why  are  such  beings 
born?  To  torture  and  be  tortured  in  this  life,  and 
afterward — endlessly?  I  cannot  believe  it.  There 
must  be  some  other  solution. ' ' 

He  now  took  a  turn  about  the  vessel,  looking  keenly 
at  every  part  in  the  gray  light  of  the  dawn,  which 
struggled  through  a  dense  mist.  The  wind  had  fallen, 
and  the  ship  with  most  of  her  canvas  set  was  plunging 
through  the  green  water  at  a  good  rate  of  speed.  Sev- 
eral sailors  who  were  lounging  about  the  deck  looked 
curiously  at  the  young  man,  and  one  of  them  touched 
his  forehead  with  some  show  of  respect.  This  man, 
after  a  whispered  word  or  two  with  his  companions, 
presently  advanced  boldly  and  planted  himself  directly 
in  front  of  Baillot,  a  number  of  the  sailors  following 
close  at  his  heels. 

He  was  a  gigantic  fellow,  as  the  young  officer  ob- 
served during  the  pause  which  followed,  in  which  the 
sailor  appeared  to  be  endeavoring  in  a  slow  ox-like 
fashion  to  determine  what  it  was  best  to  say  to  the  man 
249 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

who  confronted  him.  Baillot  further  observed  his 
great  head  thatched  with  a  profusion  of  thick  yellow 
curls  like  those  of  a  child,  also  his  light  blue  eyes, 
driven  to  a  pin-point  by  the  fierce  sea  winds,  and  look- 
ing, he  thought,  curiously  out  of  place  in  the  broad 
weather-beaten  face.  He  perceived  that  the  man  had 
been  put  forward  by  his  fellows  as  spokesman  on  account 
of  his  enormous  strength.  Glancing  quickly  over  his 
shoulder  he  saw  that  a  second  grinning  group  had  col- 
lected at  his  back.  He  was  in  a  position  of  extreme 
peril,  and  fully  realized  it. 

Without  any  appearance  of  haste  or  fear  he  shifted 
his  position,  so  that  he  stood  with  his  back  to  the  rail, 
thus  commanding  a  view  of  both  groups  of  sailors. 

"  Jorgesen's  too  slow  by  half,"  growled  one  of  the 
sailors  with  a  ferocious  oath.  "Come,  why  don't  you 
speak  up,  mate  !" 

"Where  is  our  captain?"  said  the  Scandinavian 
slowly,  pushing  up  the  sleeves  of  his  jacket,  and  re- 
vealing great  knotted  arms,  on  which  were  depicted  a 
number  of  cabalistic  designs  in  the  highest  fashion  of 
the  tattooer's  art.  Baillot  noticed  these  designs,  and 
remembered  them  accurately  afterward. 

"  I  am  your  captain,  man,  for  the  balance  of  this 
cruise, ' '  he  replied  coolly.  "  Afterward  you  may  choose 
whom  you  will,  and  go  where  you  will. ' ' 

"  Ay,  ay  !  But  wot's  to  hender  our  doin'  that  now?" 
sang  out  one  of  the  group  on  the  left. 

' '  Whar'  s  Lock  ?  Whar's  Mateo?"  bawled  a  chorus 
of  other  voices. 

"  What  has  happened  to  Lock  and  Mateo  will  happen 
to  all  of  you,  if  you  do  not  obey, ' '  said  Baillot  firmly. 
"  Lock  was  second  mate,"  he  continued. 
250 


THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  ROUGE  ET  NOIR 

"Ay,  and  a  pretty  second  mate  he  made  !"  growled 
the  Scandinavian. 

"I  appoint  you,  Jorgesen,  second  mate  in  his 
stead." 

"Who  will  be  boson  in  my  place?"  asked  the  Scan- 
dinavian, evidently  pleased  with  his  promotion. 

"  Goujet  shall  determine  that  question.  Now,  my 
men,"  he  continued,  looking  about  him  keenly,  "this 
is  going  to  be  the  best  cruise  you  ever  made — no  rope's 
end,  no  abuse,  and  a  plenty  of  plum -duff,  as  long  as  I 
am  in  command." 

' '  Ay  ! ' '  growled  an  oldish  man,  ' '  and  look  you, 
no  guzzling  below  in  the  cabin,  while  we  go  dry 
above. ' ' 

Baillot  was  congratulating  himself  that  the  threatened 
storm  had  blown  over  as  suddenly  as  had  the  squall  of 
the  night  before,  when  some  one  repeated  the  threaten- 


ing cry 


#"' 


' « Whar '  s  Lock  ?     Whar '  s  Mateo  ?' ' 

But  the  Scandinavian  came  unexpectedly  to  his  relief 
in  his  new  dignity  of  second  mate. 

' '  Never  ye  mind,  ye  lazy  lubbers  ! "  he  bellowed  in  a 
voice  of  thunder.  "I'm  second  mate  here,  I'd  have  ye 
to  know.  Get  ye  about  your  business  lively,  or  I'll 
show  ye  a  thing  or  two  that  undersized  English  dog 
couldn't." 

The  breeze  was  freshening,  and  the  mist,  rent  in 
twain  like  a  ragged  robe,  showed  here  and  there  through 
its  openings  vivid  glimpses  of  sky  and  ocean.  In  one 
of  these  rents  which  opened  upon  the  right  of  the  ves- 
sel, Baillot  on  a  sudden  discovered  the  towering  masts 
and  gleaming  hull  of  a  man-of-war.  At  the  same  in- 
stant her  lookout  must  have  descried  the  pirate,  for  as 
251 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

the  mist  again  closed  over  the  sea  in  that  quarter  there 
came  a  long  hail  across  the  water. 

' '  Clap  on  every  rag  of  canvas  ! ' '  commanded  Baillot. 
"  Call  Goujet  to  the  deck,"  he  added. 

The  sailors  hesitated.  "Why  not  fight?"  said  one 
sullenly. 

"  Fight !  With  yonder  man-of-war  ?  She  carries  at 
least  forty  guns,  man  !  We  should  be  blown  out  of 
water  like  a  kite  !" 

Again  came  the  bellow  of  the  speaking-trumpet. 
"  She  is  hailing  us  to  lay  to,  in  order  to  board  us!" 
growled  the  Scandinavian.  "Guess  you're  right,  sir. 
We're  fitter  for  plucking  a  merchantman,  than  for  try- 
ing a  brush  with  a  man-of-war." 

The  rigging  was  swarming  with  men  by  this  time,  and 
the  vessel  with  every  sail  drawing,  sped  through  the 
water  like  a  thing  of  life. 

"What  has  happened,  master?"  said  Goujet  ap- 
proaching. "  Morbleu  /"  he  ejaculated,  as  the  mist 
again  lifted  revealing  the  stately  vessel.  "  If  she  gets 
a  chance  at  us  with  her  broadside  we're  done  for  !" 

"  We  must  get  out  of  range  before  she  can  wing  us," 
said  Baillot ;  "'tis  our  only  chance." 

A  shot  which  struck  the  water  so  near  the  ship  that 
the  spray  flew  into  their  faces,  showed  that  the  English- 
man perceived  their  design  of  running  away  and  meant 
to  prevent  it. 

"A  stern  chase  is  a  long  chase,"  growled  Goujet, 
"and  I'm  willing  to  bet  my  head  that  yonder  lumber- 
ing hulk  can't  sail  with  the  Rouge  et  Noir.  What  do 
you  say  to  passing  on  the  compliment  with  our  guns, 
sir?" 

"  By  all  means,  salute  her  as  cordially  as  you  please," 
252 


THE  CAPTAIN  OF  THE  ROUGE  ET  NOIR 

said  Baillot.  "  She  intends  business  as  you  see."  He 
lifted  the  glass  which  Goujet  had  handed  him  and 
anxiously  scrutinized  the  vessel. 

Then  a  cry  of  astonishment  escaped  him.  He  had 
caught  sight  of  the  gilded  lettering  which  ran  about  her 
bow.  What  he  read  was  this,  The  Conqueror. 


*53 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

A   VOICE    OUT    OF   THE   STORM 

THE  marine  who  was  performing  the  duty  of  sentry 
about  the  cottage  being,  as  a  scientist  would  put  it,  a 
man  whose  nerve-fibers  did  not  carry  outside  impressions 
with  sufficient  swiftness  to  the  cortex  of  his  cerebrum  ; 
in  common  parlance,  being  somewhat  slow  and  stupid, 
stood  for  a  moment  staring  open-mouthed  in  the  direc- 
tion from  which  had  proceeded  the  crashing  sound, 
which,  as  we  know,  was  occasioned  by  the  fall  of  the 
unfortunate  Winters  from  the  trunk  of  the  pine  tree. 

Winters,  luckily  had  been  provided  by  nature  with 
quite  a  different  sort  of  mechanism  ;  his  nerve-fibers  in- 
stantly telegraphed  the  mishap  to  his  brain,  and  his 
brain  responded  by  suggesting  a  retreat.  Lying  quite 
flat  upon  his  belly  he  began  to  crawl  serpent -wise,  in  a 
fashion  which  he  had  acquired  in  his  youth  from  a  close 
observation  of  the  ways  of  the  American  Indian.  So  it 
chanced  that  by  the  time  the  slow-witted  marine  had  be- 
thought himself  to  fire  his  carbine  in  the  direction  of 
the  noise,  the  quick-witted  sailor  was  quite  out  of  range, 
and  approaching  the  edge  of  the  thicket  into  which  he 
had  fallen.  Once  there  he  arose  to  his  feet,  and  began 
to  run  swiftly  toward  the  hidden  retreat,  swearing  angrily 
to  himself  as  he  went. 

"May  I  be  everlastin' ly  chalked  for  a  loafin',  fat- 
headed  land -lubber !"  he  grumbled.     "It's  time  I  was 
buried,  ay — buried  an'  et  up  by  earthworms  !  Jack  Win- 
254 


A  VOICE  OUT  OF  THE  STORM 

ters,  I  hope  to  the  Lord  you  git  shook  off  into  the  sea, 
an'  drownded  the  next  time  ye  set  foot  on  ship -board. 
I'm  ashamed  of  ye  through  an'  through  for  a  blarsted 
butter-fingered,  fumblin'  old  swab,  ay,  that  I  be  !" 

His  indignation  with  himself  however  did  not  prevent 
his  getting  over  the  ground  with  remarkable  celerity. 
So  that  by  the  time  it  had  further  occurred  to  the  sentry 
to  arouse  his  superior  officer  and  communicate  to  him 
his  suspicions,  Winters  had  well-nigh  reached  the  asylum 
of  the  cavern.  In  fact  he  might  already  have  been  there, 
but  mindful  of  a  painful  sensation  of  emptiness  in  that 
region  of  his  body  which  should  at  this  time  have  been 
comfortably  occupied  in  the  digestion  of  his  supper,  and 
chancing  to  pass  through  the  orange  orchard,  where  the 
ripe  fruit  lay  upon  the  ground  in  profusion,  he  stopped 
for  a  moment  to  fill  his  pockets  and  the  bulge  of  his 
seaman's  blouse  with  the  juicy  spheres. 

"  Poor  provender  for  starvin'  men,"  he  muttered,  as 
he  stuffed  a  dozen  or  so  into  the  crown  of  his  hat.  ' '  But 
a  blamed  sight  better' n  nothin'." 

He  found  Constantin  Dinant  standing  guard  over  the 
grated  door,  and  was  instantly  admitted. 

' '  Where  is  de  Langres  ?' '  demanded  the  Huguenot 
with  visible  anxiety. 

"  In  the  pine  tree,  unless  they  have  hauled  him  down 
by  this  time, ' '  said  the  sailor.  Then  with  a  groan  he 
added,  "  Consarn  it  !  kick  me,  will  ye  ;  kick  me  from 
here  to  the  cave  yonder.  I  need  it,  an'  I'm  blamed  if 
I  don't  think  it  would  make  me  feel  a  sight  better." 

"  What  do  you  mean,  friend?"  asked  Croissart. 

' '  What  do  I  mean  ?     I  mean  that  Jack  Winters,  able 
seaman — able  seaman,  mind  you — who  ought  to  be  able 
to  hang  with  his  toe-nails  to  the  under  side  of  a  pane  of 
255 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

glass,  tumbled — ay,  tumbled,  like  a  blarsted,  fresh-water 
lubber  offen  the  trunk  of  that  pine  tree  yonder  into  the 
bushes,  an'  was  'bleeged  to  sneak  off  to  save  his  blamed 
old  hide — that's  what  I  mean.  Lord  !  I'd  take  a  tan- 
nin' with  a  cat-o' -nine-tails  with  as  much  pleasure  as  I'd 
eat  supper  arter  such  a  cussed — ' ' 

"  Hold,  friend,"  said  the  old  pastor  severely,  "your 
language  is  unseemly. — But  what  have  you  here?" 
catching  sight  as  he  spoke  of  the  oranges. 

Without  a  word  the  old  sailor  unburdened  himself  of 
an  astonishing  amount  of  the  fruit,  which  he  heaped 
upon  the  floor. 

The  Huguenot  pastor  regarded  it  with  glistening  eyes. 
"  You  are  blaming  yourself  for  your  fall,"  he  said, 
"and  yet  it  may  have  saved  our  lives.  We  be  starving 
men,  and  not  strong  to  bear  up,  by  reason  of  the  fa- 
tigues and  labors  which  have  been  our  lot  of  late.  Thank 
God  for  this  mercy  !" 

In  the  meantime  St.  Andre  de  Langres,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  a  place  of  comparative  security  in  the 
lower  branches  of  the  pine,  found  himself  in  a  sad  quan- 
dary. 

"  If  I  advance  to  the  shelter  of  the  crow's  nest,"  he 
thought,  "the  shock  of  my  unexpected  appearance 
would  probably  bring  forth  a  shriek  from  one  of  the 
women,  which  would  be  fatal  to  all  of  us.  If  I  remain 
where  I  am,  I  shall  certainly  be  seen,  if  they  bring 
torches  underneath  the  tree. ' ' 

He  presently  took  advantage  of  the  confusion  which 
ensued  in  the  camp  to  climb  up  somewhat  further  into 
the  tree,  where  he  hoped  to  be  out  of  sight  among  the 
branches.  His  anxiety  about  Winters  was  intense,  and 
still  more  unbearable  was  his  fear  for  those  who  had  been 
256 


A  VOICE  OUT  OF  THE  STORM 

left  in  the  tree-tops.  He  was  shortly  relieved  in  a 
measure  from  at  least  one  of  these  anxieties.  There  was 
certainly  some  one  in  the  retreat  above  his  head,  for  he 
could  hear  a  slight  unmistakable  sound  as  of  one 
moving  cautiously  about.  This  was  instantly  hushed  as 
two  or  three  of  the  marines  dashed  forward  armed  with 
torches,  and  began  a  hasty  search  in  the  thicket  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree.  The  search  proving  fruitless,  St. 
Andre  derived  some  faint  satisfaction  from  overhearing 
the  following  conversation  which  took  place  between  the 
sentry,  Pierre,  the  sergeant,  and  lieutenants  de  Loignac 
and  de  Morney,  who  had  been  aroused  from  their  slum- 
bers in  the  cottage  at  the  first  alarm. 

"  What  did  you  say  the  sound  was  like,  you  infernal 
blockhead  ?' '  said  de  Loignac,  addressing  the  sentry. 

"  'Twas  a  crackling  noise,  sir,"  said  the  man,  in  evi- 
dent terror  of  the  scowling  officers  who  confronted  him, 
' ' — crackling,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  heavy.  It  might 
have  been  a — a  cow. ' ' 

"You  fired  at  it,  you  say?" 

"Yes,  sir,  I  fired  at  it," — then  with  increasing  cheer- 
fulness, born  of  confidence — "It  could  not  then,  sir, 
have  been  a  cow,  else — ' ' 

"The  devil  take  you  to  perdition — if  he  have  use 
for  such  a  fool  in  the  infernal  regions  !"  exclaimed  de 
Loignac  impatiently.  "There  was  evidently  no  cow  in 
the  case,  but  only  a  very  long-eared  ass. ' ' 

"Had  it  been  an  ass,  sir,  it  would  doubtless  have 
brayed, ' '  quoth  the  sentry  seriously. 

' '  Quit  braying  ! ' '  shouted  de  Loignac,  laughing  in 
spite  of  himself.  "What  in  thunder  could  it  have 
been?"  he  demanded,  turning  to  his  companion,  who 
was  yawning  dismally. 

17  257 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

" Sacre  bleu!  How  should  I  know?  Perhaps  one 
of  those  fool  Huguenots  spying  about.  We'll  dispose 
of  them  along  with  the  others  to-morrow  if  they  fall 
into  our  hands,  if  not — why,  voila .'  we  maroon  them. 
After  we  have  burnt  the  cottages  and  destroyed  the  live 
stock,  there'll  be  precious  little  left  on  this  spot  of 
earth.  They  can  occupy  themselves  with  burying  what 
we  leave  behind  ;  after  that,  tiens  J  Let  them  live  till 
they  die  one  by  one.  I'll  not  spend  another  hour  here 
for  the  sake  of  catching  the  worthless  beggars. ' ' 

"  Can  we  get  off  to  morrow?" 

"Why  not?  Our  gracious  master  will  hardly  visit 
the  spot  to  see  whether  all  is  to  his  liking. ' ' 

"Peste  !  de  Morney.  You  are  imprudent,"  with  a 
significant  gesture  toward  the  others  of  the  group  who 
were  listening  open-mouthed  to  this  conversation. 

' '  Let  them  dare  ! ' '  replied  de  Morney,  with  a  menac- 
ing scowl.  "  But,  diable  !  I  am  sleepy.  Post  a  double 
sentry,  sergeant,  and  don't  call  us  the  next  time  you 
hear  an  owl  hoot. ' ' 

There  was  certainly  cause  for  rejoicing  in  all  this, 
thought  St.  Andre.  The  search  given  over,  the  island 
abandoned,  surely  they  would  be  able  to  devise  some 
way  in  which  to  live  until  such  time  as  they  should  be 
rescued.  "  God  will  not  forsake  his  children,"  said  the 
young  Huguenot  with  the  devout  faith  of  his  people. 
His  rejoicings,  however,  would  have  been  changed  to 
fear  could  he  have  heard  the  continuation  of  the  con- 
versation between  the  two  officers,  as  they  sauntered 
back  to  their  quarters  in  the  cottage. 

"A  devilish  nasty  business  this,  putting  the  convicts 
to  death!"  said  de  Morney.  "By  Jove,  I'm  not  a 
professional  assassin  ! ' ' 

258 


A  VOICE  OUT  OF  THE  STORM 

"No,"  sneered  de  Loignac.  "You're  only  a  pro- 
fessional lady-killer  and  dandy. ' ' 

"We" re  to  settle  that  matter  later,  you  know,"  re- 
plied de  Morney,  with  an  air  of  imperturbable  good  na- 
ture. "But,  mafoi !  I  have  a  better  plan;  what  do 
you  say  to  leaving  the  convicts  alive  ?' ' 

"What?" 

"  Leave  them  alive,  I  say.  You  know  they  hate  the 
Huguenots  like  poison.  They'd  fight  like  wild  animals 
till  they  made  an  end  of  each  other. ' ' 

"They  would,  but  we  shouldn't  be  here  to  see." 

"Pooh!  One  must  provide  for  the  amusement  of 
others  sometimes.  Now  I'm  unselfishly  inclined  to  give 
these  poor  fellows  a  little  fun.  Picture  to  yourself  the 
Huguenots,  thinking  the  coast  clear,  thrusting  out  their 
sneaking  white  faces  from  some  rat -hole  where  they've 
hidden  themselves,  and  getting  a  dose  from  the  brawny 
fellows  yonder.  A  pretty  sight — eh?  'twould  remind 
one  of  arenas,  gladiators,  wild -beast  shows,  and  that 
sort  of  thing. ' ' 

" But  I  tell  you  we  shouldn't  be  here  to  see  it." 

"Why,  my  dear  fellow,  I'll  leave  you  with  all  the 
pleasure  in  life.  You  shall  witness  the  combat,  award 
the  laurel -wreaths,  and — " 

"Suppose  /  leave  you — 'tis  your  suggestion.  Your 
lily  fingers  would  wreath  the  laurel  more  deftly  than 
mine ;  then  you  might  perform  the  funeral  orations  when 
all  was  over.  You  were  born  a  few  centuries  too  late, 
de  Morney.  You  should  have  been  a  Roman." 

De  Morney  made  no  reply,  but  it  was  plain  that  he  was 
furiously  angry  at  the  taunt. 

De  Loignac  eyed  him  curiously  for  a  moment,  then  he 
burst  into  a  loud  laugh.  "If  we  should  get  sufficiently 
259 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

angry  to  knife  each  other  before  we  leave  the  island," 
he  said  at  length,  "  it  would  please  some  people  might- 
ily." 

"True,"  replied  de  Morney  coolly,  "and  therefore  I 
am  biding  my  time  ;  'twill  suit  me  far  better  to  finish 
the  matter  later.  Let  us  drop  the  subject. — You  speak 
in  such  a  confoundedly  common  way,  '  knife  each  other  !' 
I  am  no  bandit. ' ' 

For  some  hours  nothing  further  occurred  to  disturb 
the  encampment  about  the  fire.  The  two  sentries 
marched  back  and  forth  monotonously ;  the  convicts 
tossed  and  muttered  in  their  sleep  ;  and  the  young  Hu- 
guenot, not  daring  to  drowse  on  his  giddy  perch,  sat 
open-eyed,  thinking  of  many  things.  The  hours  betwixt 
midnight  and  dawn  dragged  slowly  by.  Towards 
morning  a  thunder-shower  came  up,  the  wind  blew  vio- 
lently, so  that  the  great  trees  groaned  and  twisted,  and 
lashed  their  giant  branches  to  and  fro.  The  low  black- 
bellied  clouds  belched  forth  great  sheets  of  flame  and  the 
sound  of  the  thunder  was  deafening.  Then  followed 
the  rain,  a  drenching,  smothering  downpour. 

St.  Andr6  had  ventured  by  this  time  to  ensconce  him- 
self upon  the  stairway  which  led  up  to  the  singular  struct- 
ure above.  He  was  greatly  worried  lest  the  crow's 
nest  should  be  too  frail  to  endure  the  fearful  stress  of  the 
wind.  He  could  distinctly  hear  the  creaking  of  the  tim- 
bers and  the  cracking  and  straining  of  the  fastenings.  It 
was  very  dark.  The  fire  which  had  been  smouldering 
dully  was  almost  extinguished  by  the  pouring  rain  ;  he 
could  hear  the  impatient  mutterings  of  the  men  below. 
Finally  taking  advantage  of  the  darkness  and  the  all- 
pervading  noise  of  the  storm,  he  crept  cautiously  up  the 
ladder  He  had  almost  reached  the  platform  when  he 
260 


A  VOICE  OUT  OF  THE  STORM 

paused  for  a  moment ;  he  was  sure  that  he  could  hear 
the  sound  of  a  voice  in  low  rapid  speech.  He  went  on 
a  few  steps,  his  head  was  now  on  a  level  with  the  crow's 
nest.  He  had  not  been  mistaken ;  there  was  a  voice, 
he  caught  the  words. 

" — We  know  that  we  are  as  safe  in  this  wind-tossed 
tree-top  as  under  the  peaceful  roof  of  home.  But  oh  Lord, 
— merciful  Father,  we  be  but  women  ;  have  mercy  upon 
us,  and  abate  the  violence  of  the  storm,  we  beseech 
thee!" 

His  heart  leapt  to  his  throat.  It  was  his  mother's 
voice  !  She  was  praying  in  the  extremity  of  her  terror. 
How  well  he  remembered  her  white  face  when  she  had 
reassured  him,  a  trembling  child,  amid  the  terrifying 
grandeur  of  a  thunder-storm.  "Are  you  not  afraid, 
mother  ?' '  he  would  say  ;  and  she  would  make  answer, 
"The  body  of  my  flesh  trembles  before  the  majesty  of 
the  power  of  God.  But  surely  there  is  nothing  for  his 
children  to  fear  ;  we  are  as  ever  under  the  shadow  of  his 
wings — safe. ' ' 

The  sound  of  the  praying  voice  continued,  "  My  son, 
O  Lord  !  thou  knowest  where  he  is ;  he  is  thine.  If 
he  be  living,  grant  him  peace  and  an  unfaltering  trust 
in  thy  sure  providence,  though  the  ways  of  his  life  look 
dark  above  him  as  the  clouds  above  our  heads.  Restore 
him  to  us  in  thine  own  good  time,  we  beseech  thee  ! ' ' 

"Mother!" 

"  I  heard  a  voice — out  of  the  storm  !"  said  Madeline 
with  a  faint  sob.  "  It  was — oh  mother — it  was  the 
voice  of  St.  Andre  !" 

"  I  have  come  back  to  you,"  said  St.  Andre  softly. 
' '  Do  not  be  frightened  !  I  am  alive  and  well.  It  is 
God's  good  time !" 

261 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

PERIL   ALOFT 

IF  anyone  of  the  little  party  in  the  tree-tops  thought 
again  of  the  storm,  which  was  still  raging  about  them 
with  unabated  fury,  it  was  only  to  thank  God  for  it, 
since  the  shock  of  the  thunder  and  the  booming  of  the 
rain  served  to  cover  the  sound  of  their  rejoicings. 
After  the  wanderer,  who  had  been  so  strangely  restored 
to  them  had  told  his  story,  they  had  time  to  think  of 
the  brave  old  sailor,  to  whom  curiously  enough  all 
owed  their  present  comparative  safety  if  not  their  lives. 

"They  did  not  capture  him,"  said  St.  Andre,  "of 
that  I  am  sure,  for  I  heard  all  that  passed.  I  trust  that 
he  is  with  the  others  in  the  cave.  These  men  will  leave 
the  island  to-day,"  he  added,  "then  we  shall  be  safe 
for  the  present." 

"Ah,  thank  God  !"  sighed  Madeline.  "But  I  can 
never  forget  these  frightful  days ;  since  the  good  sailor 
— our  last  friend  save  Gate  here — disappeared,  we  have 
existed  in  one  long  agony  of  fear. ' ' 

"Fear  of  which  I  am  heartily  ashamed,"  said 
Madame  de  Langres  wiping  the  happy  tears  from  her 
eyes.  "  Why,  why  are  we  so  ungrateful,  and  suspicious 
of  God's  purposes?  I  shall  never  be  so  again." 

"I  am  afraid  that  I  shall,"  said  Madeline,  smiling 
to  herself  in  the  dark,  as  she  leaned  her  head  against 
her  brother's  shoulder.  "I  am  too  much  like  a  very 
262 


PERIL  ALOFT 

bad  child,  and  I  forget  so  easily ;  but  I  believe  that  the 
Father  loves  us  in  spite  of  our  follies. ' ' 

The  storm  had  now  abated  so  that  they  were  forced 
to  stop  talking.  Cato  with  the  noiselessness  of  a 
mouse  had  overhauled  their  stock  of  eatables,  and  de 
Langres  seeing  the  food  remembered  that  he  was  starv- 
ing. 

' '  I  fear  that  I  shall  make  great  inroads  upon  your 
slender  store,"  he  said  in  a  whisper;  "I  have  eaten 
nothing  for  six-and-thirty  hours." 

"  No  fear  of  that,"  said  Madame  de  Langres,  feaning 
forward  to  caress  with  a  trembling  hand  the  long  un- 
kempt locks  which  hung  about  the  young  man's  hag- 
gard face.  Her  maternal  soul  was  wrung  within  her  at 
sight  of  the  change  which  a  few  short  months  had 
wrought.  And  he,  on  his  part,  was  not  less  moved 
by  the  tear-dimmed  eyes,  and  whitened  hair  of  his 
mother.  His  pretty  little  mother,  he  had  been  wont 
to  call  her  in  the  happy  peaceful  days  of  the  past. 
"  She  shall  be  happy  again,"  he  resolved  ;  "  that  shall 
be  my  care." 

A  general  commotion  in  the  camp  below,  now  an- 
nounced the  beginning  of  the  day's  activities.  The 
convicts  were  aroused,  counted,  and  provided  with  their 
miserable  rations.  Madame  de  Langres  shuddered  as 
she  looked  down  at  them,  and  tightened  her  grasp  on 
her  son's  hand.  He  had  been  one  of  them.  He  too 
had  been  driven  forth  as  a  beast  to  labor.  Ah,  God 
was  good  !  She  would  remember  ! 

The  officers  now  came  out  from  the  cottage,  talking 
and  gesticulating  violently. 

"  Fetch  pitch  and  tow,  and  whatever  you  have  that 
is  inflammable,"  commanded  de  Loignac,  "and  set 
263 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

these  cottages  afire.  We  must  get  away  to-day ;  we 
have  already  outstayed  our  time.  The  loss  of  those  ac- 
cursed Huguenots  put  us  back  at  least  two  days. ' ' 

"  Do  you  purpose  to  abandon  the  island  without  find- 
ing them,  sir  ?' '  asked  Pierre  respectfully. 

' '  What  business  is  that  of  yours, ' '  growled  de  Loig- 
nac  ;  ' '  is  it  your  place  to  question  ?  What  say  you,  de 
Morney,  shall  we  leave  our  valuable  sergeant  along  with 
the  convicts  to  continue  the  search  ?' ' 

' '  It  might  be  well, ' '  replied  that  gentleman,  who 
was  gently  whistling  a  tune  from  the  latest  opera. 
"He  has  given  us  considerable  trouble  from  time  to 
time.  It  would  teach  him  a  lesson — though  to  be  sure 
he  would  hardly  have  opportunity  to  avail  himself  of  its 
valuable  effects  on  his  character. ' ' 

"What — what  do  you  mean,  honored  sirs?"  stam- 
mered the  sergeant,  whitening  visibly  beneath  his  tan. 
' '  I  have  not  meant — I  am  sure  that  I  have  tried  to  do 
my  full  duty. ' ' 

' '  Yes  ?' '  sneered  de  Morney,  ' '  Voila  .'  Continue  then 
to  obey.  Here  you,  Gaston,  fetch  out  our  toilet-cases 
and  the  portmanteaux  from  the  cottage.  Take  them  to 
the  ship ;  tell  the  captain  that  we  shall  come  on  board 
presently.  If  he  has  not  already  laid  in  sufficient  fresh 
water,  fruit  and  vegetables  for  the  voyage,  he  must  do 
so  at  once. ' ' 

"And  the  convicts,  sir,"  said  Pierre,  who  had  ap- 
parently recovered  himself.  "  What  shall  they  do?" 

De  Morney  glanced  carelessly  at  the  group  of  men, 
some  forty  in  all,  who  stood  at  a  little  distance  under 
guard  of  the  marines.  He  twisted  his  mustaches 
thoughtfully,  as  he  studied  one  by  one  the  cruel,  beast- 
like  faces.  ' '  The  convicts  ?' '  he  said  slowly.  ' '  Attend 
264 


PERIL  ALOFT 

sergeant!"  and  he  whispered  some  order  into  the  ear 
of  Pierre. 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!"  said  the  sergeant  stolidly.  Then  he 
turned  to  the  marines.  "  March  them  toward  the  cha- 
teau !"  he  commanded. 

More  marines  now  appeared  bearing  combustibles,  and 
shortly  to  the  great  regret  of  the  anxious  watchers  in 
the  pine  trees,  the  cottage  which  had  sheltered  them  so 
pleasantly  during  the  past  few  months  lay  in  smoking 
ruins.  A  little  further  away  among  the  trees,  arose  a 
second  smother  of  smoke  and  flame  which  announced 
the  demolition  of  the  laborers'  huts,  together  with  the 
barns  and  out-buildings.  And  now  cries  of  pain,  and 
the  wild  lowing  of  cattle  proclaimed  that  the  domestic 
animals,  which  had  so  long  dwelt  in  peaceful  happiness 
amid  the  groves  and  meadows,  were  being  driven  out 
and  ruthlessly  slaughtered.  Madeline  could  hardly  re- 
strain her  indignation  when  one  of  the  marines  roughly 
caught  and  held  up  at  arm's  length  the  little  spaniel, 
which  she  had  been  forced  to  leave  below. 

"  What  about  this  little  beast !"  he  shouted ;  "  shall 
I  kill  him?" 

"  Of  course,"  said  Pierre ;   "  you  know  the  orders." 

"Hold  hard,  fellow!"  cried  de  Morney,  who  was 
personally  superintending  the  slaughter.  "  Let  me  have 
a  look  at  the  beast.  No — "  he  said  after  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  dog,  "  this  is  a  valuable  animal ;  I  shall 
keep  it." 

It  was  now  late  in  the  afternoon.  St.  Andre  had 
kept  a  close  watch  upon  the  ship,  and  about  five  o'clock 
he  announced  that  the  preparations  for  departure  were 
unquestionably  complete.  Boats,  laden  with  fresh  water, 
fruits,  and  the  choicer  parts  of  the  slaughtered  animals, 
265 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

had  been  plying  between  the  island  and  the  ship  all  day  ; 
but  these  had  all  been  drawn  up  to  their  places,  and 
there  was  no  further  sign  of  human  presence  upon  the 
island.  "  I  believe  that  they  are  all  aboard,"  he  said, 
dropping  the  glass. 

"  Now  de  Lord  be  bressed  !"  exclaimed  Cato  loudly. 
"I  ain't  dared  breeve  for  mor'n  a  week.  Halleluia ! 
Amen  ! ' '  The  old  man  brought  out  the  last  two  words 
with  astounding  emphasis,  and  had  opened  his  mouth 
for  a  continuation  of  his  fervid  rejoicings,  when  Made- 
line seized  him  by  the  arm. 

"  Hush  !  I  am  sure  that  I  heard  some  one  talking  !" 

All  listened  intently. 

"I  think  you  are  mistaken,  my  child,"  began 
Madame  de  Langres,  with  a  relieved  look  on  her  worn 
face.  Then  she  stopped  suddenly. 

There  was  an  unmistakable  sound  of  human  voices ; 
presently  two  men  came  into  view.  They  were  instantly 
recognized  by  the  watchers  as  the  officers  in  charge  of 
this  singular  expedition.  They  were  evidently  engaged 
in  taking  a  last  survey  of  the  island  preparatory  to  aban- 
doning it ;  two  armed  marines  followed  them  at  a  little 
distance. 

' '  I  tell  you, ' '  declared  de  Loignac,  as  the  party 
paused  for  an  instant  under  the  pines,  ' '  that  I  heard  a 
voice  shouting  amen  /  If  we  could  but  root  out  those 
palavering  hypocrites,  together  with  that  mythical  Eng- 
lishman before  leaving  the  place — I  say  mythical,  for  I 
believe  that  the  whole  story  of  his  find  was  a  lie  invented 
by  those  two  scoundrels,  Pierre  and  Gaston,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  covering  their  cursed  carelessness. ' ' 

"A  clumsy  enough  lie  !"  replied  the  other,  lighting 
a  cigar. 

266 


PERIL  ALOFT 

"  Clumsy  enough,  yes ;  but  lying — that  is  to  say  artis- 
tic, soul -convincing  deceit,  the  variety  that  carries  com- 
pelling belief  in  its  train — is  one  of  the  fine  arts.  One 
could  scarcely  expect  a  clod  like  Pierre  to  have  mastered 
it." 

De  Morney  emitted  a  cloud  of  tobacco  smoke  before 
replying,  then  he  laughed  sarcastically.  "You  should 
add,  my  friend,  that  the  art  of  lying  is  a  special  gift  be- 
stowed by  the  prince  of  darkness  upon  his  votaries, — the 
father  of  lies  is,  I  believe,  a  good  orthodox  name  for 
his  infernal  highness — and  further,  that  one  gains  skill 
and  address  therein  by  practice  and  by  a  faithful  and  de- 
vout attention  to  the  secret  spiritual  admonitions  of  le 
bon  diable  and  his  emissaries. ' ' 

"You  should  have  been  an  abb6,  de  Morney.  Your 
exposition  is  positively  edifying.  But,  morbleu  !  speak- 
ing of  the  devil — what  is  that  ?' ' 

De  Loignac  as  he  spoke  had  glanced  up  carelessly  into 
the  branches  above  his  head.  Now  it  chanced  unhap- 
pily that  the  storm  in  its  fury  had  torn  away  a  part  of 
the  great  tree  ;  de  Loignac  had  therefore  caught  a  glimpse 
of  the  black  face  of  Cato  as  he  leaned  over  the  side  of 
the  crow's  nest,  horrified  at  the  scandalous  talk  of  the 
two  officers.  He  had  instantly  withdrawn  his  head  upon 
hearing  the  exclamation  of  de  Loignac,  and  crouched 
behind  the  shelter  of  the  low  railing,  absolutely  paralyzed 
with  fear.  Madame  de  Langres  and  Madeline  convul- 
sively clutched  each  other  by  the  hand,  and  listened 
breathlessly  for  the  next  words  from  below. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?' '  said  de  Morney,  looking  up  in 
his  turn.  "  I  see  nothing.  No,  by  Jove  !  there  is  some- 
thing curious  up  there.  It  can  hardly  be  the  convicts  ; 
but  suppose  we  try  the  effect  of  a  shot  in  that  direction. " 
267 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Snatching  a  carbine  from  one  of  the  marines  he  raised 
it  and  fired  directly  upward.  The  shot  passed  through 
the  floor  carrying  away  a  fragment  of  Madeline's  gown 
and  buried  itself  in  the  trunk  of  the  tree. 

The  young  girl  sank  back  half-fainting  against  her 
mother's  shoulder,  but  not  a  sound  escaped  her  lips. 

"What  did  you  see  anyhow?"  inquired  de  Morney, 
after  he  had  paused  a  moment  to  observe  the  effect  of  his 
random  assault. 

"I  caught  but  a  single  glimpse,"  confessed  de  Loig- 
nac,  "  but  it  looked  to  me  like  the  face  of  a  black  man, 
with  monstrous  staring  eyes. ' ' 

De  Morney  burst  into  a  laugh.  "  Did  you  never  see  a 
monkey,  man? — one  of  those  man-faced  apes  I  mean." 
,  "Do  you  suppose  it  was  that?"  said  de  Loignac 
doubtfully.  "  I  couldn't  swear  that  it  was  not,  though 
so  far  I  have  seen  nothing  of  the  sort  on  the  island.  It 
looks  rather  unnatural  up  there  to  me,"  he  continued, 
staring  fixedly  into  the  branches.  "  I  believe  I'll  send 
one  of  the  men  up  to  see.  I  say,  you  Vonard,  get  up 
that  tree  in  a  hurry  and  see  what's  above." 

The  marine  handed  his  carbine  to  his  fellow  without 
a  word,  and  divested  himself  of  his  jacket. 

St.  Andre  arose  to  his  feet  noiselessly,  and  looked 
about  him,  then  he  stooped  over  the  shivering,  crouch- 
ing negro.  "  Have  you  any  weapon  ?' '  he  whispered  in 
his  ear. 

The  negro  looked  up.  His  face  was  ashen  ;  he  seemed 
unable  to  speak. 

"Answer!"  said  St.  Andre,  with  a  menacing  gest- 
ure, "or  by  the  Lord,  I'll  throw  you  down  to  them  !" 

This  threat  acted  at  once  as  a  mental  tonic  ;  raising 
one  shaking  hand,  the  unfortunate  Cato  pointed  to  the 

268 


PERIL  ALOFT 

k 

cupboard.  St.  Andre  reached  it  with  a  single  noiseless 
stride,  and  discovered  therein  a  sharp  two-edged  knife, 
a  brace  of  which  Winters  had  taken  the  precaution  to 
bring  from  the  wreck  of  the  IVhite  Gull,  and  one  of 
which  he  had  thoughtfully  placed  among  the  stores  of 
the  crow's  nest.  Cato  had  too  evidently  made  use  of  this 
knife  in  his  culinary  operations,  and  St.  Andre  passing 
his  thumb  along  the  edge  of  the  blade,  frowned  darkly. 

' '  But  I  will  kill  him ! "  he  whispered  between  his 
shut  teeth.  "  I  will  kill  them  all !"  He  looked  at  his 
mother  and  Madeline,  and  felt  the  strength  of  ten  men 
animate  his  body,  as  he  thought  what  would  follow 
should  they  be  captured. 

The  marine  had  by  this  time  reached  the  lower 
branches  of  the  tree  where  he  discovered  the  stairway 
which  led  up  to  the  retreat  above.  He  uttered  a  slight 
cry  of  surprise,  then  instead  of  advancing,  began  a  swift 
retreat. 

' '  What  are  you  coming  down  for,  coward  ?' '  shouted 
de  Loignac. 

The  man  had  by  this  time  reached  the  ground.  "I 
thought  it  more  prudent  to  consult  you,  sir, ' '  he  said  in 
a  low  voice  ;  "  there  may  be  a  dozen  armed  men  con- 
cealed above. ' '  And  he  proceeded  to  acquaint  the  offi- 
cers with  what  he  had  seen. 


269 


CHAPTER   XXXIII     f;;ri,>t1fj 

THE   SIGNAL-GUN 

"A  PEST  on  you  for  a  cowardly  fool!"  began  de 
Loignac  in  a  violent  rage.  "Had  there  been  armed 
men  up  there,  we  would  have  heard  of  it  before  this. 
The  stairway  is  no  new  device,  man.  Get  you  up  quickly, 
or  I  shall  assist  you  in  a  way  that  you  will  not  relish. ' ' 

The  marine  with  a  sullen  look  prepared  to  obey. 
"Give  me  your  pistol,  sir,"  he  said.  "I  shall  not  be 
able  to  carry  my  carbine. ' ' 

De  Morney  who  had  calmly  continued  to  smoke  dur- 
ing this  conversation  tossed  the  fragment  of  his  cigar 
aside.  He  had  in  the  meantime  been  studying  the 
structure  in  the  tree-tops  from  various  points  of  view. 

"I  don't  blame  the  fellow  for  not  wanting  to  go 
up, ' '  he  said  at  length  ;  * '  and  I  am  not  sure  but  that 
we  are  exposing  ourselves  needlessly  to  stand  here. 
Suppose  we  hold  a  council  of  war  yonder.  A  party  of 
marines  with  axes  would  be  more  to  the  point,  I  fancy. ' ' 

"But  the  men  are  all  on  board,"  objected  de  Loig- 
nac impatiently,  "and  we  must  get  off  by  the  next 
tide." 

"There's  no  'must'  about  it,  to-morrow  morning 
would  do  quite  as  well.  If  Vonard  finds  a  wasps'  nest 
aloft,  and  gets  badly  stung,  voila  !  the  wasps'  nest  must 
come  down  ! ' ' 

Vonard  by  this  time  had  reached  the  wooden  ladder, 
and  holding  the  pistol  in  one  hand,  began  the  ascent. 
270 


THE  SIGNAL-GUN 

« 

St.  Andre  crouched  behind  the  railing. 
Step  by  step  the  marine  advanced.  He  was  afraid, 
as  was  evidenced  by  his  slow,  hesitating  approach.  St. 
Andre  remained  motionless  until  the  man  had  reached 
the  platform,  where  he  stood  for  a  moment  looking  about 
him  in  surprise,  then  his  eye  fell  upon  Cato ;  he  ad- 
vanced with  a  cry,  raising  his  hand  as  if  to  fire. 

This  was  what  St.  Andre  had  counted  upon.  He 
sprang  up  with  a  bound,  knocked  the  pistol  out  of  the 
man's  hand,  then  seizing  him  under  the  armpits  hurled 
him  violently  over  the  ledge.  The  unfortunate  marine 
uttered  a  loud  cry,  and  spread  abroad  his  hands  in  a 
vain  endeavor  to  save  himself;  crashing  twice  or  thrice 
with  a  dull  thud  upon  the  intervening  branches  he  fell 
down — down — down,  striking  the  ground  with  a  hor- 
rible sound  at  the  very  feet  of  the  two  officers. 

De  Loignac  started  back  with  an  oath,  but  de  Morney 
turned  the  body  over  with  his  foot,  using  it  gingerly  lest 
he  should  soil  his  polished  boot. 

"He  is  quite  dead,"  he  said  coldly  at  length, 
" — neck  broken  for  one  thing.  Will  you  take  my  ad- 
vice now,  or  will  you  send  up  the  other  man  ?' ' 

"  I  will  go  up  myself!"  cried  de  Loignac  ;  "  the  fel- 
low was  a  slow-witted  fool !" 

"  Ah,"  said  de  Morney  nonchalantly,  lifting  his  eye- 
brows, "  then  is  our  duel  off?     I  rather  regret — " 
11  What  do  you  mean  ?' '  interrupted  the  other  roughly. 
"Nothing,  only  that  there  are  better  ways  of  dying 
than  this, ' '  and  he  again  carelessly  nudged  the  body  of 
the  dead  Vonard  with  the  toe  of  his  boot. 

De  Loignac  tugged  savagely  at  his  mustaches.  "  Come 
on,"  he  said  at  length  ;  "  we  will  return  to  the  ship  for 
assistance. ' ' 

271 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"And  leave  the  occupants  of  the  tree  to  escape  in 
our  absence?"  said  de  Morney,  shrugging  his  shoul- 
ders. 

' '  Some  one  must  go.      There  are  only  three  of  us — ' ' 

"Send  the  marine.  You  and  I  will  make  an  am- 
buscade to  pick  off  any  who  may  try  to  descend." 

"  Bon  ! — But  what  is  that?  The  signal  gun  !  one — 
two — three— -four  !  Immediate  return  !  What  can  it 
be?" 

"  We  must  return  and  see." 

"And  leave  the  tree  unguarded?" 

"  Certes,  it  may  after  all  be  only  an  ape.  The  creat- 
ures are  immensely  strong,  and  inconceivably  quick. ' ' 

"And  Vonard,  poor  devil,  was  inconceivably  slow. 
We  must  take  him." 

"  Pah  !  we  shall  soil  our  hands." 

"  Let  Gaspard  take  him  over  his  shoulders." 

So  in  this  fashion,  to  the  great  surprise  of  St.  Andre, 
who  was  watching  their  movements  with  feelings  which 
may  be  better  imagined  than  described,  the  three  set 
forth.  After  what  seemed  an  age  he  saw  their  boat 
creeping  like  a  snail  across  the  water  in  the  direction  of 
the  vessel. 

He  had  not  been  able  to  hear  the  latter  part  of  the 
conversation,  and  fancied  that  they  had  only  returned 
for  men  to  cut  down  the  trees.  He  therefore  approached 
the  women,  who  were  still  crouching  in  a  state  of  semi- 
insensibility  behind  their  screen  of  blankets. 

"  How  did  you  get  up  here?"  he  demanded  of  Mad- 
eline ? 

"By  a  rope-ladder,"  replied  the  young  girl  faintly. 
Then  raising  her  head,  "  Are  they  there  still?" 

"  No,  they  have  gone  ;  but  only  to  fetch  axes  to  cut 
272 


THE  SIGNAL-GUN 

down  the  trees.  We  must  hasten  !  Where  is  the  rope- 
ladder?" 

"At  the  foot  of  the  stairway,  I  suppose.  Mr.  Win- 
ters drew  it  up. ' ' 

"Yes,  I  understand.  I  will  let  it  down.  Give 
mother  something  to  revive  her.  Be  quick  !" 

Descending  the  stairway,  the  young  man  found  the 
rope-ladder,  coiled  up  and  tied  to  the  limb,  just  as 
Winters  had  left  it.  He  unfastened  it,  descended  and 
made  it  taut  at  its  lower  end,  then  he  hurried  back  to 
where  the  women  were  awaiting  him ;  glancing  at  the 
ship,  he  was  amazed  to  see  it  with  every  stitch  of  can- 
vas spread,  apparently  getting  under  way.  He  caught 
up  the  glass  in  astonishment. 

"There  is  another  ship,"  said  Madeline  breathlessly. 
"  I  see  no  boat ;  can  it  be  that  they  have  left,  not  mean- 
ing to  return  ?' ' 

"  They  have  been  forced  to  leave  !"  cried  St.  Andre, 
dropping  the  glass.  "  If  I  am  not  very  much  mis- 
taken yonder  sail  is  that  of  the  enemy ;  there  is  also 
another  which  I  can  see  by  the  aid  of  the  glass,  possi- 
bly the  consort  of  the  first.  At  all  events  the  French 
ship  has  deemed  it  prudent  to  withdraw." 

"Then  we  are  saved  !" 

"For  the  present — yes,"  replied  St.  Andre  slowly. 
"  But  there  is  one  thing  concerning  which  I  must  sat- 
isfy myself  before  you  descend.  I  should  have  taken 
the  risk  had  it  appeared  that  they  were  to  return — but 
now — ' '  He  paused  for  a  moment  and  knit  his  brows 
thoughtfully. 

' '  What  do  you  mean  ?' ' 

"I  mean  the  convicts,"  and  the  young  man  turned 
to  descend.  He  paused,  however,  with  his  foot  on  the 
18  273 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

first  step  of  the  stairway  to  say,  ' '  I  shall  haul  up  the 
rope-ladder  again  for  the  present ;  I  will  return  as  soon 
as  I  have  reconnoitered  a  little. ' ' 

"Oh,  brother!"  begged  Madeline,  clasping  her 
hands  in  sudden  terror,  ' '  suppose  the  convicts — ' ' 

"You  are  already  forgetting,  little  sister,"  said  St. 
Andre  with  a  grave  smile.  "  I  am  armed  and  they  are 
not,"  he  added,  pointing  to  de  Loignac's  pistol. 
' '  Courage  !  I  shall  be  with  you  before  you  have  time 
to  fear. ' ' 

The  young  man  prudently  resolved  to  first  visit  the 
cavern,  and  acquaint  his  companions  who  were  im- 
prisoned there  with  the  course  which  events  had  taken. 
But  Winters  had  already  seen  the  departure  of  the 
vessel  from  his  post  of  observation,  and  burning  with 
impatience  and  anxiety,  was  on  his  way  to  the  great 
trees  to  look  after  the  safety  of  those  whom  he  had 
left  behind  when  he  descended  upon  the  tour  of  in- 
vestigation which  had  been  fraught  with  such  moment- 
ous results. 

He  was  accompanied  by  the  five  Huguenots,  and 
when  St.  Andre  spied  them,  all  six  were  bending  over 
some  object  which  was  lying  upon  the  ground.  As  the 
young  man  hurriedly  approached  them,  he  perceived 
that  the  object  of  their  attention  was  the  body  of  a  man 
lying  flat  upon  his  face. 

"God  be  thanked,  you  are  safe!"  exclaimed  the 
Huguenot  pastor  devoutly  as  he  caught  sight  of  St. 
Andre — ' '  and  the  others  ?' ' 

"They  too  are  safe,"  replied  the  young  man. 

"Are  they — ?" 

"Yes,  my  mother  and  my  sister,"  said  St.  Andre. 

"  Wonderful  providence  of  the  Most  High  !  Truly 
274 


THE  SIGNAL-GUN 

the  Lord  reigneth ;  He  delighteth  himself  in  mercy, 
Alleluia!" 

"This  'ere  man  ain't  dead,"  put  in  Winters,  with 
his  accustomed  irrelevancy.  "  I  can  hear  him  breathe. ' ' 

St.  Andr6  looked  attentively  at  the  body.  It  stirred 
slightly ;  he  stooped  and  turned  it  over.  "It  is  the 
convict  who  threatened  to  betray  us ! "  he  exclaimed. 
"Where  are  the  others?" 

Winters  jerked  his  thumb  over  his  shoulder  by  way 
of  reply,  and  St.  Andre  following  the  motion,  was  hor- 
rified at  the  sight  of  an  indiscriminate  heap  of  dead 
bodies,  lying  in  ghastly  confusion  in  a  hollow  place  at 
the  foot  of  a  knoll ;  this  hollow  was  literally  brimming 
over  with  blood. 

"  Shot !"  explained  Winters  briefly.  " — This  fellow 
wa' n't  killed  outright  an'  dragged  himself  away.  He'll 
live  if  we  take  care  of  him.  Shall  we  do  it?" 

The  Huguenot  pastor  frowned.  "  Do  you  ask  that 
question,  son  of  Belial,"  he  said  severely,  "after  the 
wonderful  display  of  divine  mercy  and  providence 
which  we  have  just  witnessed  ?  Were  it  not  for  the  in- 
tervention of  the  potent  arm  of  the  Almighty  you  also 
would  be  lying  dead  in  yonder  pool  of  blood. ' ' 

"Wall,"  said  Winters  scratching  his  head  reflective- 
ly, "I  might,  then  agin  I  might  not.  When  folks  talk 
about  proverdunce  that  way,  a  thankin'  God  that  they 
was  presarved  when  other  folks  wa'n't,  I  allers  think 
about  that  sayin' ,  'The  early  bird  catches  the  worm;' 
thar's  the  worm,  you  know — an'  like  as  not  an  all -fired 
good  industrious  worm — as  gits  caught.  In  this  'ere 
case,  we're  saved,  the  fellows  yonder  are  shot,  what's 
the  reason  ?' ' 

"They  were  sinful  men — "  began  the  Huguenot. 
275 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"So  be  I!"  cut  in  Winters,  grinning  cheerfully. 
"You  jes'  called  me  a  son  of  Belial ;  an'  here's  this  old 
cuss  on  the  ground,  the  wust  one  of  the  lot,  as  'ud  knife 
us  all  if  he  got  a  chance  an'  it  was  to  his  betterin' . ' ' 

The  Huguenot  pastor  looked  down  at  the  face  of  the 
unconscious  man.  "  It  may  be,"  he  said  thoughtfully, 
"  that  even  we  may  prove  humble  instruments  in  God's 
hand  to  snatch  this  poor  sinner  as  a  brand  from  the 
burning.  But  we  must  first  attend  to  his  physical  hurts. 
Alas  !  that  all  is  destroyed  ;  we  have  now  neither  food 
nor  shelter. ' ' 

"Thar's  the  cave,  parson,"  said  Winters;  "as  for 
victuals,  we'll  find  a  plenty.  But  these  ' ere  bodies  must 
be  got  underground  as  soon  as  possible.  It  won't  do  to 
have  the  women -folks  see  anything  of  the  sort." 

"  I  will  return  to  the  tree  and  reassure  them  of  safety," 
said  St.  Andre. 

"Thar's  a  heap  to  do  for  everybody,"  quoth  Win- 
ters. "  If  you've  no  objections,  sir,  I'd  like  to  git  up 
that  tree  myself.  I  want  to  take  a  partin'  look  at  the 
ship  through  the  glass,  an'  notice  which  way  she's 
headed.  If  they  ain't  made  ducks  an'  drakes  of  the 
yacht — as  I  make  no  doubt  they  have — we'll  be  settin' 
sail  ourselves  some  fine  day. ' ' 

"She's  headed  nor'  by  nor' west,"  said  de  Langres, 
"but  visit  the  crow's  nest  by  all  means ;  my  mother  and 
sister  are  longing  to  see  you  with  their  own  eyes.  They 
have  not  forgotten  to  whom  they  owe  everything ;  nor 
have  I, "  he  added,  grasping  the  old  sailor  by  the  hand. 

"Why,  blow  me,  sir,  I  ain't  done  nothin'  wuth men- 
tioning," replied  Winters ;  "  couldn't  do  less  anyhow  ; 
I  made  that  there  crow's  nest  as  much  for  myself  as  for 
anybody.  I  kind  of  blundered  into  a  good  job,  that's 
276 


THE  SIGNAL-GUN 

all.  The  parson  here' 11  explain  how  'tis  that  a  son  of 
Belial — that's  me — sometimes  does  blunder  that  way." 
The  old  man's  eyes  glistened  as  he  spoke,  and  he  drew 
his  jacket-sleeve  across  his  eyes.  "  Guess  I'll  git  along," 
he  added,  "whilst  he's  explainin'  of  it.  I  don't  know 
how  it  is,  but  too  much  religion  allers  makes  me  sassy. ' ' 


277 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

BOVET 

AT  St.  Andre's  request  nothing  was  said  to  either  of 
the  women  concerning  the  massacre  of  the  convicts. 
"They  have  had  horrors  enough  to  bear,"  declared  the 
young  man. 

The  presence  of  the  wounded  convict  the  women  at- 
tributed to  an  accident,  and  addressed  themselves  with 
zeal  to  the  task  of  nursing  him  back  to  health.  The 
man  had  shortly  recovered  consciousness,  but  seemed 
disinclined  to  speak,  which  was  thought  to  be  one  of 
the  unfortunate  effects  of  his  wound. 

Madeline  was  delighted  with  the  cave,  for  as  the  story 
of  the  mysterious  dead  man  had  also  been  suppressed, 
the  place  had  no  unpleasant  associations  for  her.  "  What 
a  charmingly  mysterious  place,"  she  had  exclaimed, 
when  introduced  to  the  cavern  by.  its  outer  entrance. 
"What  could  it  have  been  used  for;  perhaps  to  bury 
treasure  in,  who  knows  ?' ' 

The  young  girl  with  her  accustomed  light-heartedness 
had  already  recovered  her  spirits.  "How  can  I  help 
but  be  happy  ?' '  she  cried.  ' '  St.  Andre  is  restored  to 
us,  and  that  dear  old  Winters,  besides  our  pastor — and 
who  could  have  dreamed  of  that  ?  I  believe  that  those 
wicked  men  will  never  return ;  why  should  we  not  re- 
main here,  and  rebuild  the  cottage  ?' ' 

But  St.  Andre  shook  his  head.  "  This  is  not  a  place  in 
which  to  remain, ' '  he  said  gravely. 
278 


BOVET 

As  for  Winters  he  was  more  bent  than  ever  upon  leav- 
ing the  island.  "I  ain't  for  sayin'  now,  in  view  of 
what's  happened,  that  I  wish  we'd  gone  to  begin  with. 
We  was  kep'  for  a  purpose,  as  the  parson  says,  an'  it 
looks  reasonable.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  as  soon  as  we 
can  git  the  yacht  in  order,  we'd  best  git  out  of  here." 
The  others  agreed  with  him. 

The  yacht  had  fortunately  escaped  the  hands  of  the 
destroyers.  It  had  evidently  been  visited,  and  after  a 
wanton  overhauling  which  left  its  interior  in  the  wildest 
confusion,  had  been  set  on  fire.  But  for  some  reason  or 
other  the  fire  had  gone  out  after  doing  but  little  damage. 
Luckily  no  one  had  taken  the  pains  to  make  sure  of  its 
destruction,  so  that  to  the  great  joy  and  relief  of  Win- 
ters he  had  found  the  little  vessel  comparatively  unin- 
jured. >>V/»  in 

"  I'm  for  holdin'  a  special  praise-meetin'  over  this  lit- 
tle craft !"  he  cried  joyfully.  The  old  man  had  adopted 
the  religious  tone  of  his  companions  with  a  fervor  which 
brought  a  smile  to  the  grave  faces  of  the  Huguenots 
more  than  once,  commingled  as  it  was  with  his  own  pe- 
culiar and  picturesque  profanity.  "I'll  be  blowed  if 
this  ain't — taking  it  all  round — the  han'somest  thing 
the  A' mighty  has  done  yit  for  us  poor  miserable  sin- 
ners !  I  tell  ye,  prayin's  the  thing ;  I'm  in  for  it  from 
now  on  !  While  your  askin'  for  one  thing,  an'  like  as 
not  forgittin'  all  about  suthin'  more  important,  the  Lord 
jes'  throws  that  in,  so  to  speak.  He  ain't  forgot  it. 
No,  sir!" 

The  Huguenot  pastor  soon  ceased  to  rebuke  the  old 

man  for  his  somewhat  dubious  sayings.     He  had  begun 

to  understand  the  simple,  childlike  and  yet  wonderfully 

shrewd  mind  of  the  sailor,  and  took  a  deal  of  quiet  pleas- 

279 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ure  in  sounding  the  depths  of  his  character.  He  had 
thrown  himself  with  fervor  into  the  work  of  refitting  the 
vessel  and  had  thus  further  advanced  himself  in  his  good 
graces. 

"You  say  that  you  are  an  Englishman,  friend,"  he 
said  one  day,  as  the  two  were  busily  at  work  repairing 
the  rigging  of  the  yacht.  The  sailor  had  been  expatiat- 
ing at  length  upon  America  whither  all  the  Huguenots 
hoped  to  arrive  at  no  distant  day.  ' '  I  should  have  said 
that  you  were  an  American,  though  I  confess  to  know- 
ing very  little  about  them." 

"Wall,  I  was  born  in  England  an'  no  mistake,  so 
I'm  an  Englishman  all  right,  but  I'll  tell  ye  how  it  was. 
My  father  was  born  in  the  colonies  at  Plymouth ;  he 
stayed  there  fightin'  Injuns  an'  raisin'  corn  till  he  was 
'bout  twenty  years  old,  then  he  "went  back  to  England, 
an'  stayed  a  spell.  While  he  was  thar  he  married  his 
second  cousin,  an'  I  was  born — in  England.  Arter  that 
they  both  came  back,  an'  I  was  raised  in  Ameriky.  I 
took  to  the  sea,  married  an  English  wife,  an'  I've  been 
knockin"  about  ever  since — a  hard  case  too  most  of  the 
time.  Reckon  I  got  too  much  preachin'  when  I  was 
young.  Got  set  in  the  stocks  once  for  laughin'  out  loud 
inmeetin1.  The  parson  he'd  preached  fur  two  hours 
'bout  hell  an'  damnation,  an'  all  that  sort  of  thing — it 
never  sea"  t  me  much  anyhow.  An'  I  set  there  watchin' 
a  fly  as  was  crawlin'  up  onto  the  slippery  bald  head  of 
an  old  man  right  in  front  of  me.  He  was  asleep,  though 
he  set  up  and  pertended  to  be  listenin'  with  his  eyes 
shet.  He  kep'  a  reachin'  up  for  that  fly  sort  of  oneasy 
like,  an'  the  fly  he  dodged  as  cute  as  a  pin.  I  reckon 
the  devil  got  arter  me,  for  I  laughed  right  out  loud,  an' 
as  I  say,  got  set  in  the  stocks  fur  two  hours  for  an  ex- 
280 


BOVET 

ample.  I  was  about  fourteen  then,  an'  I  took  to  the 
sea  that  very  night. ' ' 

' '  Now  if  you  had  listened  to  that  sermon — ' '  began 
the  Huguenot  gravely. 

"  Oh  yas,  if  I  had  listened  to  that  'ere  sermon,"  in- 
terrupted the  sailor,  "  I  shouldn't  have  seen  the  fly  ;  I'd 
have  kep'  still  'stead  of  ha-ha-in'  right  out  in  meetin' — 
Lord  !  how  they  all  stared  !  Prob'ly  I  should  have 
stayed  in  Ameriky  till  I  died — might  have  died  young 
too,  along  of  the  Indians.  Then  whar'd  you  an'  Miss 
Madeline  an'  her  ma,  an'  all  the  rest  of  ye  be?" 

"The  ways  of  the  Lord  are  unsearchable  and  past 
finding  out,"  quoth  the  pastor  meditatively. 

"Jes'  so,"  commented  Winters.  "I  s'pose  one 
thing  's  proverdunce  's  much  as  another.  I  had  to 
laugh  out  loud  in  meetin' ,  an'  git  set  in  the  stocks,  an' 
knocked  about  the  world,  so  's  to  be  on  hand  for  this 
'ere  job,  don't  you  see  !" 

"Well,  I  hardly  know  about  that,  friend.  Scripture 
speaks  concerning  the  over-ruling  providence ;  that  is 
to  say,  God  is  able  to  subdue  even  wickedness  to  his 
glorious  purposes,  as  in  the  case  of  the  crucifixion  of  our 
blessed  Lord." 

' '  Now  you '  re  a  gittin'  out  of  my  soundin's ;  it's  time 
to  tack,  I  reckon.  What  do  you  think  about  our  friend 
the  convict, — Bovet,  he  says  his  name  is?  Somehow  I 
don't  feel  altogether  safe  'bout  him.  He's  too  quiet  by 
half,  an'  there  's  a  look  in  his  eye  that  I  don't  like." 

' '  I  hardly  know  what  to  say  in  answer  to  that  ques- 
tion," replied  the  Huguenot  thoughtfully.  "I  have 
endeavored  to  talk  with  the  man  twice  or  thrice,  but  he 
had  very  little  to  say  for  himself.  I  had  hoped  that 
mademoiselle  might  influence  him ;  he  seems  dis- 
281 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

posed  to  listen  to  her  more  attentively  than  to  anyone 
else." 

"  Humph  !"  ejaculated  Winters,  pulling  away  at  the 
cordage  with  a  grim  expression  upon  his  countenance 
which  might  mean  anything  or  nothing.  "  Wall,  sir  ! 
I'll  tell  ye  what  I  think,"  he  burst  out  at  length.  "  I 
think  the  fellow  is  a  brute  beast ;  a  heap  more  to  be 
feared  than  any  tiger  that  ever  sneaked  in  the  jungle. 
If  I  had  my  way  about  it,  he'd  'a  been  whar  he  belongs 
'afore  this  time,  an'  that  ain't  in  heaven.  But  since 
we've  gone  and  done  the  good  Samaritan  act,  and  got 
him  all  nussed  up,  I  reckon  we'd  better  do  two  things, 
first,  make  him  work  day  times — ' ' 

"  But  he  still  complains  of  pain  in  the  region  of  his 
wound,"  objected  the  old  minister  mildly. 

" Yer  granny! — 'xcuse  me,  sir — he's  jest  a  playin' 
off.  He's  all  right,  an'  able  enough  to  work.  The 
second  thing  I  was  goin'  to  mention  is,  that  I  think  as 
how  he  ought  to  be  chained  up  nights.  What's  to 
hinder  him  from  murderin'  every  mother's  son  of  us 
while  we're  asleep?" 

"What  object  could  the  man  have  in  so  doing?" 
questioned  the  Huguenot,  looking  troubled;  "his  own 
safety  certainly  depends  in  a  measure  upon  us. ' ' 

"  Does  a  mad  dog  think  ?  does  a  tiger  reason  things 
out,  sir?  I  tell  ye  he  ain't  human,  an'  he  ain't  fit  to 
be  loose." 

"  I  believe  that  you  are  wrong,  friend,"  persisted  the 
Huguenot.  Nevertheless  he  observed  the  man,  Bovet, 
that  night  more  narrowly  than  he  had  done  heretofore. 
The  party,  now  consisting  of  the  six  Huguenots,  Win- 
ters, Cato,  and  the  two  women,  making  with  the 
wounded  convict  eleven  persons  in  all,  were  gathered 

282 


BOVET 

about  the  cheerful  blaze  which  it  had  become  the 
custom  to  light  every  evening  near  the  entrance  to  the 
cavern. 

"  We  can  git  off  by — say  the  day  after  to-morrow," 
Winters  was  saying  cheerfully.  "The  parson  an'  I 
have  got  things  into  pretty  good  shape  aboard  the  yacht. 
How  have  you  folks  come  on  with  your  dried  meat,  and 
yer  cooked  victuals  ?' ' 

"Mighty  well,"  said  Cato  triumphantly,  to  whose 
experienced  hands  had  been  entrusted  the  victualling 
of  the  ship.  "  Mighty  well,  an'  what's  better,  we  done 
dug  into  some  of  the  cellars  under  the  ruin  to-day,  and 
found  dey  was  a  plenty  ob  good  victuals  there  yet  that 
wasn't  touched  by  fire  nor  powder." 

Constantin  Dinant,  whose  eyes  were  thoughtfully 
fixed  upon  the  man  Bovet,  was  startled  to  observe  the 
look  of  wolfish  greed  which  leapt  into  his  eyes  as  he 
listened.  "Is  it  possible  that  the  fellow  understands 
English  ?' '  thought  the  minister  to  himself,  feeling  some- 
what uneasy  at  the  circumstance.  The  conversation  had 
often  been  carried  on  in  that  language  in  presence  of 
the  convict,  for  the  benefit  of  Winters  to  whom  French 
was  unintelligible.  He  now  remembered  that  Winters 
had  repeatedly  said  before  the  man,  "  He  won't  bother 
us  long —  He's  the  sort  to  be  wanted  'most  anywhere," 
and  other  remarks  of  like  import.  He  continued  to 
stare  reflectively  at  the  convict,  whose  small,  savage 
eyes  were  now  fixed  upon  Madeline  with  an  expression 
which  obviously  rendered  the  young  girl  uneasy,  for  she 
arose  at  length  and  crossing  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
fire,  seated  herself  near  her  brother,  who  was  occupied 
in  reading  from  a  small  volume  which  he  had  found  in 
the  cabin  of  the  yacht.  The  convict  smiled,  an  evil 
283 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

smile,  and  dropping  his  head  muttered  something  to 
himself. 

"What  are  you  thinking  about,  friend?"  demanded 
the  pastor,  suddenly  rising,  and  standing  before  the 
man.  He  asked  the  question  in  English,  and  the 
startled  look  in  the  eyes  of  the  convict  convinced  him 
that  he  was  perfectly  understood. 

' '  I — ah — -Je  ne  vous  comprends  pas,  monsieur. ' ' 

"You  are  not  telling  the  truth,"  replied  the  Hugue- 
not quietly.  The  convict  made  no  reply,  but  a  mur- 
derous fire  blazed  up  in  his  eyes  for  an  instant,  then 
died  away  dully. 

(tje  ne  vous  comprends"  he  repeated  with  a  stupid 
air. 

Constantin  Dinant  turned  away,  thoughtfully  drawing 
his  long  silvery  beard  through  his  hand.  He  was  de- 
cidedly uneasy  ;  deeply  versed  in  the  ways  of  men,  with 
all  his  far-reaching  benevolence  he  was  not  lacking  in 
shrewd  caution.  "Friend  Winters  is  right,"  he  said 
to  himself,  ' '  the  man  is  dangerous.  I  should  like  for 
the  moment  to  be  able  to  look  behind  those  green  eyes 
of  his. ' '  Even  as  he  thought  thus  within  himself  that 
mysterious  sixth  sense,  whose  verity  has  always  been  re- 
jected as  a  species  of  irreligion,  flashed  so  dark  a  pict- 
ure before  his  mental  vision  that  he  shrank  back  ap- 
palled. "Lord,  why  do  such  visions  of  guilty  passion 
afflict  my  soul  ?' '  was  the  mental  prayer  with  which  he 
strove  to  combat  the  God-given  warning.  Yet  was  he 
sufficiently  moved  thereby  to  approach  St.  Andre  and 
request  a  few  moments'  conversation  aside. 

' '  I  am  going  for  fresh  water  from  the  spring, ' '  he  said 
aloud  with  a  genial  smile. 

St.  Andr6  sprang  up  instantly.  "You  wished  to 
284 


BOVET 

speak  with  me  ?' '  he  said  in  a  low  tone  as  the  two  walked 
away  together. 

"Yes,  I  wish  to  advise  that  hereafter — as  long  as  we 
remain  upon  the  island — the  women  shall  pass  the  night 
in  the  crow's  nest,  as  our  good  friend  Winters  calls  it; 
you  also  to  guard  them. ' ' 

"Why  is  that,  sir?"  asked  the  young  man  in  surprise. 
"We  shall  not  be  here  more  than  two  nights  longer, 
and  we  have  removed  all  of  the  blankets,  together  with 
the  hammocks,  to  the  little  nook  which  I  have  arranged 
for  them  in  the  cave. ' ' 

"  I  know  all  that,  my  son,  and  yet  I  want  you  to  do 
it.  I  fear  the  man,  Bovet,  I  hardly  know  why  ;  Win- 
ters also  distrusts  him,  and  he  is  a  man  of  remarkable 
sagacity.  He  advises  to  chain  him  up  at  night,  but  we 
could  not  do  that,  it  savors  too  much  of  the  ways  of  the 
flesh  in  dealing  with  erring  humanity.  But  there  could 
be  no  harm  in  taking  reasonable  precautions,  such  as  re- 
moving the  women  to  the  tree-tops,  and  drawing  up  the 
rope-ladder. ' ' 

"  It  shall  be  done,"  said  St.  Andre  looking  troubled. 
"  I  hope  I  am  not  doing  wrong  in  wishing  that  the  bul- 
lets of  the  marines  had  been  better  aimed  in  his  case. ' ' 

The  old  minister  made  no  comment  upon  this  speech  ; 
he  had  himself  been  visited  with  a  similar  regret  on 
more  than  one  occasion.  "  Do  not  let  him  know  of  the 
change, ' '  he  said  simply. 

Neither  Winters  nor  the  Huguenot  pastor  slept  much 
during  the  night.  There  was  something  profoundly  dis- 
turbing in  the  mental  atmosphere,  which  both  men  felt 
acutely.  The  convict  lay  a  little  to  one  side  on  the  bed 
which  he  still  preempted.  He  slept  soundly  to  all  ap- 
pearances, so  did  the  others.  Shortly  after  midnight, 
285 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Winters  who  was  mentally  cursing  himself  for  his  wake- 
fulness,  heard  a  slight  sound.  He  sat  up  and  instantly 
struck  a  light  which  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to  have 
at  hand. 

"  What  is  it?"  whispered Constantin  Dinant,  starting 
up  at  the  sound  of  the  flint. 

"Nothin',  it  seems,"  replied  Winters,  looking  about 
him.  "  I  thought  I  heard  something — but  he  is  asleep. 
Consarn  it,  I  am  goin'  to  sleep  myself !"  he  added,  ap- 
parently much  out  of  temper,  and  extinguishing  the 
light  he  lay  down  once  more  in  his  place.  He  was  pres- 
ently snoring. 

About  an  hour  afterward  the  convict  again  moved 
cautiously  in  his  place.  This  time  no  sound  of  striking 
flint  and  steel  reached  his  ears.  He  arose  noiselessly  to 
his  feet,  then  paused  an  instant  to  listen.  He  could 
hear  nothing  save  the  heavy  breathing  of  the  sleepers. 

He  smiled  to  himself  in  the  dark,  then  reaching  under 
the  cover  of  his  bed  drew  out  a  long  knife. 

"Now  my  fine  sailor  friend,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"and  my  whining,  hypocritical,  long-faced  comrades — 
convicts  all,  I  will  show  you  how  you  shall  die  without 
a  sound  !  The  girl  shall  be  mine,  and  I — lord  of  the 
island!" 


286 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

THE    PRISONERS 

IN  the  excitement  of  the  hours  which  followed  neither 
Baillot  nor  Goujet  gave  a  single  thought  to  the  two  men, 
Lock  and  Mateo,  whom  they  had  left  bound  and  gagged 
in  the  inner  cabin  of  the  Roiige  et  Noir.  As  time  passed 
on  the  sufferings  of  the  luckless  captives  became  almost 
unbearable.  Mateo  at  length  succeeded  in  freeing  his 
tongue  from  the  gag,  and  his  shrieks  and  imprecations 
were  something  frightful  to  hear.  To  his  surprise,  how- 
ever, no  one  heeded  him,  every  soul  of  the  crew  be- 
ing on  deck  and  absorbed  in  the  race  between  the  Rouge 
et  Noir  and  the  man-of-war.  The  English  ship  con- 
tinued at  intervals  to  fire  her  bow  guns  at  the  flying 
brigantine,  which  responded  heartily  from  her  stern; 
neither  did  much  damage,  and  Baillot  observed  with 
satisfaction  that  the  distance  between  the  two  vessels  in- 
creased rather  than  lessened  with  every  passing  hour. 

The  prisoners  below,  hearing  the  guns,  and  feeling 
the  trembling  of  the  ship  as  she  drove  violently  through 
the  water,  partly  guessed  at  the  state  of  things. 

' '  Cowards  ! ' '  hissed  the  Italian  through  his  closed 
teeth,  "why  do  dey  not  fight?  Dey  should  die  rather 
than  run  were  Mateo  capitain  !"  Then  he  beat  his 
manacled  hands  together  violently  and  shouted.  "Vil- 
lains !  Dogs  !  Pigs  !  Come  quick,  loose  me  ! ' '  end- 
ing with  a  long  inarticulate  howl  of  rage. 

He  had  repeated  this  performance  perhaps  a  score  of 
287 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

times,  without  other  result  than  an  increase  of  his  already 
intolerable  thirst,  when  he  heard  a  fumbling  sound  at 
the  door  outside,  which  Gdujet  had  taken  the  pains  to 
lock. 

"Open,  dear,  good  friend!"  shrieked  the  Italian, 
thinking  best  to  change  his  mode  of  address.  "  For  de 
love  of  all  de  saints,  for  de  love  of  heaven,  open  !  I 
am  perishing  ! ' ' 

"But  I  cannot  open;  the  door  is  fast,"  answered  a 
soft  whining  voice  which  Mateo  recognized  as  belonging 
to  a  Genoese  lad,  whom  he  himself  had  picked  up  in 
port  a  few  months  previous,  and  who  officiated  on  board 
the  Rouge  et  Noir  as  cook. 

His  eyes  gleamed  with  satisfaction.  "That  you, 
Tito  ?'  he  asked  in  Italian. 

"Yes,  master.  How  can  I  open?  Shall  I  call 
some  one — the  mate  Goujet,  or  the  new  captain  ?' ' 

"  A  thousand  devils  !  No  !  'tis  they  who  have  bound 
me.  Listen,  fetch  Salmo,  together  you  can  force  the 
trumpery  door.  Quick  now  !  and  let  no  one  hear  you. ' ' 
Having  delivered  these  commands,  Mateo  sank  back, 
smiling  grimly  to  himself  as  he  thought  what  he  should 
do,  once  loosened  from  his  hateful  bonds.  He  could 
hear  Lock  moaning  and  snuffling  dismally  from  his 
bunk  ;  his  face  grew  thoughtful.  Should  he  loose  him 
also  ?  Upon  mature  reflection  he  decided  that  he  would. 
Together  they  could  rid  themselves  of  the  usurper  and 
of  Goujet.  "I  can  settle  my  little  business  with  the 
Englishman,"  he  said,  "when  he  is  no  longer  useful  to 
me."  Arriving  at  which  satisfactory  conclusion,  he 
awaited  with  all  the  patience  at  his  command  the  re- 
turn of  Tito.  This  was  so  long  delayed  that  he  began 
to  fear  lest  something  had  befallen  the  lad.  "  The  pur- 
288 


THE  PRISONERS 

blind  imbecile!"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "He  has 
been  caught  by  that  villain  Goujet, — ah,  I  could  grind 
him  between  these  teeth  like  an  almond!"  Then  he  be- 
guiled the  moments  by  stringing  together  the  several 
oaths  of  which  he  was  master  in  Italian,  English, 
French,  Portuguese  and  Spanish,  in  all  of  which  lan- 
guages he  was  sufficiently  proficient  to  swear  fluently. 

At  length  he  heard  steps  and  voices  in  the  cabin  with- 
out. There  was  a  violent  wrench  at  the  door,  a  snap- 
ping of  hinges  and  screws. 

' '  Diavolo  !  but  I  am  glad  to  see  you  ! "  he  cried, 
as  the  door  finally  yielded.  "You  Tito,  fetch  me 
drink ;  I  am  perishing  with  thirst.  Have  you  a  file, 
Salmo?  I  must  get  loose  of  these  cursed  handcuffs." 

"Who  has  done  this  thing?"  said  Salmo,  setting  to 
work  with  a  will  at  the  rusty  irons. 

' '  The  usurper,  who  else  ?  He  shall  die  for  it — ' ' 
hissed  the  captive.  "The  saints  interest  themselves  in 
me  now!"  he  added  devoutly.  "A  score  of  wax 
candles  at  the  shrine  of  my  patron  saint,  Giuseppe,  if  I 
get  loose  before  they  find  it  out. ' ' 

' '  Never  fear,  they  are  too  busy  watching  the  English 
vessel,"  quoth  Salmo. 

' '  Is  that  what  they  are  doing  ?  Why  do  they  not 
fight?" 

"  Fight  with  a  vessel  of  war  ?  You  have  not  seen,  my 
Mateo.  We  must  run  and  that  is  all,  else  we  shall  dance 
at  the  end  of  a  rope  ere  long.  I  tell  you  the  new  cap- 
tain understands  the  matter  of  handling  a  ship.  Rouge 
et  Noir  sails  like  a  witch  for  him." 

"  The  new  captain  !  You  dare  to  say  the  words  in 
my  presence?  Dog!"  and  in  a  violent  rage  Mateo 
struck  at  the  man  who  was  doing  his  best  to  liberate  him. 
19  289 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Salmo  leapt  to  his  feet  with  an  oath.  "The  new  cap- 
tain ! — Yes  !  I  say  it  in  your  presence.  And  who  are 
you  to  strike  me  ?  ay — and  to  call  me  dog  !  Can  a  dog 
use  the  file  ?  Can  a  dog  liberate  you  ?  Can  a  dog  give 
you  drink  ?' ' 

' '  No — no — no — good  Salmo, ' '  whined  Mateo,  per- 
ceiving his  mistake.  "I  meant  nothing,  I  assure  you 
— nothing  at  all  !  I  am  mad  with  pain  and  thirst.  For 
the  love  of  heaven  now,  do  not  desert  a  countryman  in 
his  extremity  !" 

Salmo  looked  at  him  coldly,  but  did  not  resume  his 
labor  with  the  file.  "Who  is  this  !"  he  said,  peering  in 
at  the  bunk  where  Lock  still  tossed  and  moaned  uneas- 
ily. "See,  I  will  unloose  you,"  he  added,  removing 
the  gag. 

"Water!"  gasped  the  wretched  Englishman  faintly. 

"You  shall  drink  first ;  the  dog  wills  it,"  said  Salmo, 
showing  his  white  teeth  in  a  wicked  grin,  as  Mateo 
writhed  in  speechless  anger.  And  taking  the  bottle 
from  Tito  he  held  it  to  the  lips  of  Lock,  who  drank 
greedily. 

"  Good,  sweet  Salmo,  forgive  me  !  Tito,  dear  child, 
give  me  to  drink  ! ' '  pleaded  Mateo,  goaded  to  a  frenzy 
by  the  cooling  glugity-glugity-glug  of  the  liquor  as  it 
passed  rapidly  down  the  Englishman's  capacious  throat. 

"  Am  I  a  dog?"  cried  Salmo  fiercely,  "  answer  me  !" 

"  No — no  !"  moaned  Mateo.  "  You  are  a  saint — an 
angel,  if  you  will  only  give  me  to  drink.  I  suffer  the 
torments  of  the  damned,  I  tell  you. ' ' 

"  Drink,  then,"  growled  Salmo,  "  but  call  me  dog  a 
second  time  and  you  shall  go  where  you  shall  plead  in 
vain  for  a  drop  even  of  water  to  cool  your  accursed 
tongue." 

290 


THE  PRISONERS 

"Now  listen!"  exclaimed  Mateo,  casting  aside  the 
bottle  after  taking  a  lengthy  draught,  "both  of  you 
work  like  mad  to  rid  us  of  our  fetters.  We  are  four ; 
we  can  make  ourselves  masters  of  the  vessel ;  the  others 
will  obey  us.  Lock  shall  be  capitaine,  if  he  wills,  I 
care  not. — I  swear  I  do  not.  Only  two  to  put  out  of 
the  way — only  two  ;  the  rest  will  obey  us. ' ' 

' '  But  you  cannot  handle  the  vessel  as  does  this  man 
— Baillot,  he  calls  himself,"  objected  Salmo  sullenly. 
"And  if  we  are  taken  we  hang.  'Tis  no  time  for  a 
mutiny." 

"As  you  like,  good  Salmo.  Let  him  be  till  this  thing 
is  past.  But  afterward — surely  afterward  you  do  not 
desire  him  ?' '  Then  as  Salmo  still  hesitated  he  added  with 
a  dark  look,  ' '  You  have  also  forgotten  something,  my 
Salmo  ;  you  have  forgotten — but  no  ?  you  remember 
once  more  ! ' ' 

Salmo  had  turned  pale ;  he  picked  up  the  file  and 
without  a  word  applied  himself  to  the  task  of  severing 
the  irons  with  such  vigor  that  in  a  very  few  moments 
Mateo  was  at  liberty. 

"Ah  !"  he  whispered  to  himself,  as  he  paced  noise- 
lessly up  and  down  the  narrow  confines  of  the  cabin, 
stopping  now  and  again  to  chafe  his  stiffened  limbs. 
"Free  once  more! — Give  me  your  dirk,  my  Salmo? 
No  ?  You  will  not  ?  This  poniard  will  answer, ' '  and 
he  plucked  one  from  the  wall.  "  Do  not  fear  me,"  he 
continued  in  a  tone  as  gentle  and  soothing  as  that  of  a 
woman.  "  I  would  not  hurt  one  little  black  curl  on 
your  head,  for  all  you  were  so  cruel  to  me  just  now. 
You  do  not  know  Mateo.  All  is  forgotten  between  us ; 
we  are  brothers,  my  Salmo  !  And  Tito  here  also  ;  thou 
art  a  good  child,  Tito.  Fetch  us  something  to  eat,  little 
291 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

one,  Salmo  will  finish  the  irons  on  the  Englishman.  As 
for  me  I  am  too  weak.  I  must  save  myself  that  I  may 
have  strength  to  kill." 

"  If  you  kill  the  man  now  you  make  a  fool  of  your- 
self, ' '  said  Lock,  speaking  for  the  first  time. 

"What  you  say?"  snarled  Mateo,  pausing  for  an  in- 
stant in  his  stealthy  shamble  to  glare  balefully  at  the 
Englishman. 

Lock's  hands  were  free  now,  he  reached  out  for  the 
bottle.  "  That  cursed  gag  set  me  on  fire  within,"  he 
remarked,  wiping  his  lips  with  the  back  of  his  hand. 
"  I  don't  intend  to  spare  the  villains,"  he  continued  ; 
"but  I  have  a  better  plan  than  yours,  and  a  safer.  If 
you  will  listen  to  me  we  shall  succeed,  if  not  we  shall  be 
dead  men  before  the  sun  sets.  That  Goujet  is  the  very 
devil — and  the  devil  with  one  arm  is  stronger  than  both 
of  us.  Hold  your  infernal  chattering  tongue  if  you  can 
till  I  get  through,"  as  Mateo  snarled  impatiently. 
"This  fellow — Baillot  you  called  him — knows  of  a 
treasure. ' ' 

"  Lies  !"  burst  out  Mateo. 

"  But,  sink  me,  suppose  that  he  is  not  lying  ;  suppose 
that  there  Is  such  a  treasure  ?  If  we  kill  him  now  we 
cannot  get  it ;  we  do  not  know  where  it  is.  Let  us  sub- 
mit to  the  man  until  we  see,  and  then — What  do  you 
say?" 

"  If  he  have  lied  all  the  crew  will  turn  against  him," 
said  Mateo  slowly. 

"Of  course!  We  shall  lose  nothing  by  waiting 
and  we  may  gain  a  pretty  pocketful.  They  shall  die 
afterward  fast  enough  ;  we  shall  be  avenged,  and  the 
vessel  will  be  ours.  You  and  I  will  cast  lots  for  the 
captaincy,  the  one  who  loses  shall  be  first  mate." 
292 


THE  PRISONERS 

"But  Goujet— " 

"  Must  not  clap  his  eye  onto  us  till  we  have  made  all 
smooth  with  this  fellow  Baillot.  He's  a  soft  one  and 
will  believe  whatever  we  tell  him. ' ' 

"A  soft  one,  you  call  him?"  muttered  the  Italian, 
surveying  his  bruised  wrists  with  a  savage  grin.  "  But 
we  must  hide,  Tito  will  make  us  a  place.  When  Goujet 
goes  below  we  speak  to  dis  capitaine,  is  it  not  so  ?' ' 

' '  Yes,  that  is  it.  We  are  very  sorry — eh  ?  and  are 
going  to  be  very  good  from  now  on. ' ' 

"Si — si.  Vary  good,  I  will  talk.  You  shall  see 
what  I  say." 

While  this  pair  of  worthies  were  arranging  matters  to 
their  satisfaction  below  decks,  Baillot  and  Goujet  were 
bending  all  their  energies  to  the  difficult  task  which  lay 
before  them. 

"A  few  more  minutes  will  put  us  completely  out  of 
range,"  remarked  Baillot,  glancing  anxiously  aloft  at 
the  straining  canvas. 

"  Better  go  to  the  bottom  with  all  on  board  than  fall 
into  their  hands,"  growled  Goujet  who  was  serving  the 
cannon.  "I'd  like  to  get  a  shot  through  one  of  those 
big  sails  of  theirs,"  he  continued.  "Ah!  that  hit 
them  at  last. ' ' 

"Yes,"  replied  Baillot  quietly,  "and  they  have  hit 
us  in  the  hull.  Look  to  it  at  once  ;  we  want  no  further 
ballast  in  the  shape  of  water  in  the  hold. ' ' 

Goujet  disappeared.  This  was  the  opportunity  for 
which  Mateo  and  Lock  had  been  waiting  ;  they  imme- 
diately issued  from  their  hiding-places  and  approached 
the  young  officer. 

"  My  vary  good  capitaine  !"  whined  Mateo,  plucking 
him  gently  by  the  sleeve. 

293 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Baillot  turned  suddenly.  "Ah!"  as  he  recognized 
the  swarthy  face  before  him.  ' '  How  did  you  get  loose  ? 
Goujet  must  look  to  your  case. ' ' 

"Mercy,  good  signor!"  said  the  Italian,  rolling  up 
his  eyes  beseechingly.  ' '  We  are  ready  to  obey.  You 
forgot  us ;  we  were  dying  of  thirst. ' ' 

' '  True  ! ' '  exclaimed  Baillot,  ' '  I  did  forget  you — 
Peste .'  I  would  not  have  treated  a  dog  to  such  torture. 
Who  loosed  you  then  ?' ' 

"Tito,  the  cook.  He  is  but  a  child;  I  am  his 
friend ;  he  obeyed  me.  See,  you  will  believe  me  that 
I  obey,  for  I  might  have  kill  you  but  now  ! ' '  And  the 
wily  Italian  displayed  the  poniard  which  he  had  thrust 
into  his  belt. 

"You  got  the  better  of  us,  cap'n.  Sink  me,  if  I 
don't  know  when  I  meet  a  man  of  parts,"  put  in  Lock. 
"I'm  blest  if  I  want  a  better  cap'n  than  you,  sir.  You 
can  count  on  Peter  Lock  from  now  on,  and  I  ain't  the 
worst  man  aboard  either;  ask  Goujet.  Say!  You'll 
speak  a  good  word  to  the  mate  for  us,  won't  you,  sir? 
He'll  be  for  hocking  us  and  dropping  us  over  the 
side." 

Goujet  had  by  this  time  finished  his  examination  of 
the  hull,  and  bethinking  himself  of  the  prisoners, 
stopped  to  take  a  look  at  them.  Finding  the  broken 
irons  on  the  floor  of  the  cabin,  he  came  rushing  up  to 
the  deck  filled  with  the  gravest  apprehension  for  his 
master's  safety.  He  stopped  short  on  beholding  the 
two  ruffians  apparently  engaged  in  amicable  conversation 
with  Baillot. 

"What  the  devil !"  he  exclaimed  under  his  breath. 

"  Our  prisoners  have  escaped,  you  see,"  said  Baillot, 
eyeing  them  doubtfully,  "  but  as  they  declare  that  they 

294 


THE  PRISONERS 

are  ready  to  submit  to  discipline,  we  may  as  well  let 
them  be.  They  were  dying  with  thirst.  You  see  we 
forgot  them,  man ;  think  of  the  torture  of  a  gag  all 
these  hours  !" 

"Mon  dieu,  they  are  lying,  master!  Don't  leave 
them  loose  as  you  value  your  life.  Let  me  drop  them 
astern  for  the  Englishman  to  fire  at ! " 

"  The  Englishman  must  needs  fire  at  something  astern 
of  us,"  said  Baillot,  "  for  we  are  fairly  out  of  range  at 
last ;  if  we  can  keep  this  speed  for  a  few  hours  longer  we 
are  safe.  What  about  the  shot  below  our  water-line?" 

"  It  did  no  damage  to  speak  of,  sir,"  replied  Goujet. 
"  I  set  the  carpenter  to  work  to  make  all  secure  against 
a  possible  leak.  But  these  rascals  are  like  to  be  worse 
than  ten  leaks,"  he  added  frowning.  "You  don't 
mean  to  leave  them  loose,  do  you,  sir?" 

"As  long  as  they  obey  orders — yes,"  said  Baillot 
firmly.  "You,  Lock,  are  degraded  from  being  second 
mate  for  the  rest  of  the  cruise ;  Jorgesen  has  your 
place. ' ' 

The  Englishman's  small  green  eyes  flashed  ominously, 
but  he  made  no  reply  beyond  a  sullen  nod  of  the  head. 

"Remember,"  continued  Baillot  sternly,  "that  the 
slightest  disobedience  will  put  you  into  irons  again. 
Next  time  we  shall  see  to  it  that  you  are  bestowed 
where  your  friends  cannot  assist  you." 

"  De  capitaine  shall  be  obeyed;  I  am  as  the  dust 
under  his  feet,"  declared  Mateo,  showing  his  white 
teeth  in  an  amiable  smile.  "Ah — you  do  not  know 
Mateo,  you  shall  see  how  I  shall  lofe  you  ! ' ' 

"You  lofe  me  too,  don't  you?"  sneered  Goujet. 

"You?     Si,  I  lofe  you  like  dis!"  hissed  the  Italian, 
springing  forward  with  a  cry. 
295 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

There  was  the  keen  flash  of  a  poniard,  and  a  sharp 
cry  from  Mateo  as  he  whirled  over  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sel. 

' '  Lower  a  boat  instantly  ! ' '  shouted  Baillot. 

' '  You  are  mad,  sir  !  Should  we  stop  to  lower  a  boat 
all  would  be  over  with  us  ! "  cried  Goujet,  grasping  him 
by  the  arm. 

"Fool!"  muttered  Lock,  as  he  watched  the  black 
head  of  the  Italian  bobbing  up  and  down  among  the 
waves  as  he  swam  after  the  vessel  in  the  vain  hope 
of  saving  himself.  "  Why  couldn't  he  have  stowed  his 
temper.  I  could  have  killed  the  fellow  when  he  told 
me  I  was  degraded,  but — I  can  wait.  He  laughs  best 
who  laughs  last,  say  I ! "  And  he  waved  his  hand  with 
a  mocking  gesture  of  farewell  to  his  unfortunate  com- 
panion. 

The  Italian  perceiving  that  no  effort  was  to  be  made 
to  save  him,  with  a  last  desperate  struggle  raised  himself 
out  of  the  water  and  shrieked  some  futile  imprecation 
after  the  flying  vessel ;  the  words  mingled  confusedly 
with  the  sounds  of  the  hurtling  water  and  straining 
cordage,  then  the  black  head  disappeared  beneath  the 
waves. 


296 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 

A   STORM    AT   SEA 

BAILLOT  drew  his  cap  low  down  on  his  forehead  and 
strode  away.  He  was  sick  at  heart.  Goujet,  observing 
his  face,  followed  him. 

' '  You  are  sorry  to  see  that  man  perish,  is  it  not  so, 
master?"  he  said;  "but  what  could  I  do?  He  was  a 
beast — a  tiger,  the  author  of  a  thousand  murders,  and 
yet  the  death  he  died  was  the  death  any  honest  sailor 
might  covet.  Had  he  lived  we  must  have  died,  for  he 
loved  you  even  as  he  loved  me,  and  you  saw  how  well 
that  was.  The  villains  had  concocted  some  dark  scheme  ; 
we  still  have  Lock  to  deal  with." 

Baillot  made  no  answer. 

"Ah!"  said  Goujet  drawing  in  his  breath  quickly, 
"  you  hate  me  because  I  have  done  this  thing.  Mon 
dieu,  I  wish  he  had  stabbed  me  ! "  and  he  bent  his  head 
in  deep  dejection. 

Something  in  his  tone  and  look  aroused  Baillot  out  of 
the  black  mood  into  which  he  had  fallen.  It  seemed  to 
him  that  he  saw  a  sparkle  of  moisture  in  the  man's  fierce 
eyes. 

"You  could  not  have  done  otherwise,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, my  friend,"  he  said  slowly.  "  Thank  God, 
my  Gaston,  that  you  still  live!"  He  was  amazed  to 
note  the  change  which  these  few  words  produced  in  the 
man's  face  ;  joy  and  hope  swept  across  it  like  a  burst  of 
sunlight  over  a  stormy  sea.  In  truth  a  miracle  had 
297 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

been  wrought  in  the  soul  of  this  strange  being.  The 
love  which  he  had  given  to  the  dead  mother  of  Baillot 
— such  love  as  a  mortal  may  give  to  an  angel — though 
buried  deep  under  long  years  of  hopeless  sin  and  misery, 
had  sprung  up  anew  at  sight  of  her  son.  It  is  not  easy 
for  us  to  comprehend  that  Love  is  the  supreme  energy 
of  the  universe. 

Something  of  all  this  was  evident  to  the  mind  of  Bail- 
lot  ;  he  was  vaguely  cheered  and  strengthened  by  it. 
"You  love  me,  my  Gaston,"  he  said  simply. 

The  man  responded  by  a  look,  but  such  a  look.  One 
may  surprise  a  like  expression  of  devotion  in  the  brown 
eyes  of  a  faithful  dog,  as  he  rests  his  head  on  the  knee 
of  his  master. 

"Cap'n,"  said  the  new  second  mate  Jorgesen,  ap- 
proaching respectfully,  "if  our  main-sail  remains  spread 
many  minutes  longer,  something  will  happen. ' ' 

"Make  things  snug  at  once,  sir,"  replied  Baillot, 
shaking  off  in  an  instant  the  last  remnant  of  his  depres- 
sion. He  perceived  in  the  black  cloud  which  lay  upon 
the  water  at  the  northward,  death  or  safety. 

Two  minutes  more  and  the  storm  had  struck  them,  a 
swift  darkness  illumined  now  and  again  by  the  downward 
stroke  of  cimeter-like  lightnings.  These  flashes  revealed 
the  English  ship,  already  far  to  the  leeward,  with  every 
sail  clewed  down,  her  tall  naked  masts  bending  to  the 
fury  of  the  wind.  Then  the  rain  like  a  close  curtain 
shut  them  in. 

All  night  the  vessel  drove  onward  in  the  teeth  of  a 
howling  gale  ;  when  morning  broke  clear  and  sparkling, 
the  sun  shone  brilliantly  on  broken  masses  of  flying 
cloud  and  avalanches  of  glittering  spray,  but  nowhere 
did  it  reveal  to  the  anxious  eyes  of  the  lookout  the 
298 


A  STORM  AT  SEA 

enemy  who  had  pursued  them  so  fiercely  the  day  be- 
fore. 

The  voyage  proceeded  smoothly  from  this  time,  the 
weather  remained  favorable,  and  they  made  good  pro- 
gress toward  Terciora.  Baillot  spent  much  time  in  anx- 
ious thought ;  he  finally  took  Goujet  more  completely 
into  his  confidence,  and  told  him  bit  by  bit  the  whole 
story  of  the  island,  and  of  the  shipwreck. 

"You  couldn't  help  yourself,  master,  I  see  that," 
said  the  mate  seriously.  "Once  aboard  this  precious 
craft  you  had  to  do  the  best  you  could  on  the  moment. 
It  was  a  miracle,  that  I  didn'  t  make  an  end  of  you  at  the 
first;  I  was  a  bloody  villain,"  and  Goujet  shook  his 
grizzled  head  slowly.  "  Do  you  know  what  I  think?" 
— lowering  his  voice  almost  to  a  whisper — "  It  was  your 
mother ;  she  knew  about  me  and  about  you.  It  all  hap- 
pened that  I  might  find  you. ' ' 

' '  So  you  believe  in  spirits, ' '  said  Baillot  with  a  half- 
smile. 

"Believe  in  them?  Mon  dieu  !  yes.  Do  not  you, 
master  ?' ' 

"  I  believe  that  my  mother  is  in  heaven,  but  I  cannot 
think  she  is  forced  to  visit  the  earth  on  my  account. ' ' 

' '  You  are  wrong  there,  master, ' '  said  Goujet  solemn- 
ly. "  She  keeps  a  close  watch  over  you.  I  know  be- 
cause— ' ' 

' '  Because  of  what  ?' ' 

' '  Because  I  have  seen  her. ' ' 

"You  were  dreaming,  man." 

"  No,  master,  I  was  as  wide  awake  as  I  am  this  minute. 
Listen  !  You  were  studying  the  charts  in  the  cabin,  I 
was  on  deck — " 

"When  was  this?" 

299 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Yesterday,  just  before  sundown." 

"Well?" 

"I  was  on  deck,"  continued  Goujet ;  "suddenly  I 
missed  Lock, — I  don't  trust  the  man,  he  means  mischief 
— so  I  quietly  slipped  down  the  stairway.  You  sat  study- 
ing the  charts — you  remember,  sir  ?' ' 

' '  Yes,  but  what  of  that  ?   Lock  was  nowhere  about. ' ' 

"  I  know  it,  sir.  I  didn't  say  that  he  was.  I  found 
afterward  that  he  was  in  the  fo'c'sle.  But  I  saw,  stand- 
ing behind  your  chair  looking  down  at  the  chart  over 
your  shoulder — just  as  though  she  was  interested  in  it 
too,  your  mother.  Yes,  you  may  look  surprised ;  you 
don't  remember  her,  sir,  as  I  do.  She  looked  just  as 
she  used  to  do.  As  I  stood  in  the  door  she  raised  her 
head — she  must  have  seen  that  I  saw  her  from  the  way 
I  stared,  for  she  smiled  at  me — then  with  just  a  little 
wave  of  the  hand  toward  you  she  seemed  to  melt  away 
into  the  air. ' ' 

Baillot  said  nothing  to  this  extraordinary  story.  He 
had  the  unwillingness,  amounting  almost  to  determina- 
tion, possessed  by  most  healthy  well-balanced  minds,  to 
believe  anything  bordering  upon  the  supernatural. 

Goujet  looked  at  him  keenly.  ' '  You  do  not  believe 
that  I  saw  her,"  he  said.  "You  think  I  dreamed  it, 
or  that  I  have  invented  the  story.  Well,  I  have  done 
neither,  but  one  cannot  force  one's  self  to  believe,  I 
know  that  well. — But  tell  me,  master,  how  you  propose 
in  the  first  place  to  find  this  man,  Jose  de  Miguel  ? 
And  after  that  you  have  found  him,  what  shall  you  say 
to  him,  since  you  do  not  even  known  what  this  myste- 
rious island  is  called  ?' ' 

"I  have  thought  of  all  that,"  said  Baillot,  knitting 
his  brows.      "  And  it  does  not  trouble  me  so  much  as 
300 


A  STORM  AT  SEA 

does  the  question  how  to  manage  the  rescue  of  Madame 
de  Langres  and  her  daughter  with  such  a  crew  as 
this." 

"  Have  you  any  money,  master?" 

"Yes,  I  have  money,  plenty  of  it — that  is  to  say  a 
thousand  pistoles. ' ' 

"  I  have  half  as  much  myself.  We  must  get  rid  of 
this  crew,  that  is  we  must  abandon  it,  and  if  possible 
buy  another  vessel." 

"I  had  thought  of  that,"  said  Baillot,  "but  how? 
I  have  promised  the  treasure  to  these  men — a  thing  I 
had  no  right  to  do,  by  the  way,  since  it  does  not  belong 
to  me. ' ' 

'  'Diable  .'  It  belongs  to  you  as  much  as  to  any  one, ' ' 
cried  Goujet  with  a  shrug.  "To  find  is  to  own 
with  a  gentleman  of  fortune, — nay  more,  to  seize  is  to 
own. ' ' 

"But  we  are  not  gentlemen  of  fortune — as  you  are 
pleased  to  call  pirates,  my  friend." 

"What  then  is  Louis  XIV.?"  said  Goujet  with  a 
short  laugh.  "  What  has  become  of  your  ancestral  do- 
mains, my  master?" 

The  young  man  flushed  hotly,  then  he  said,  quietly 
enough,  "Two  wrongs  do  not  make  a  right.  If  the 
king  has  seized  upon  that  which  is  not  his  own,  it  does 
not  follow  that  I  may  do  the  same." 

"  Live  and  let  live,  master,  say  I.  Let  us  reach  Ter- 
ciora  first,  then  we  shall  see." 

Land  was  sighted  not  many  days  after ;  it  proved  to  be 
the  most  northerly  of  the  three  groups  into  which  the 
Azores  are  divided.  Terciora  belongs  to  the  central 
group,  and  thither  without  loss  of  time,  except  to  take 
aboard  fresh  water,  the  vessel  proceeded.  The  crew 
301 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

had  conducted  themselves  in  a  tolerably  peaceable  man- 
ner up  to  this  point,  but  Baillot  fancied  that  he  could 
detect  signs  of  growing  impatience  among  them,  as  the 
voyage  neared  its  close.  When  the  brigantine  was 
fairly  anchored  to  the  leeward  of  the  island  of  Terciora, 
Goujet  deemed  it  wise  to  make  some  further  explanation 
to  the  crew  who  were  sullenly  eyeing  the  shore. 

"What  do  we  stop  here  for?"  demanded  Lock  sud- 
denly. ' '  Is  this  the  island  where  the  treasure  is  to  be 
found?" 

"We  stop  here  to  obtain  a  chart  from  a  man  who 
knows  the  place, ' '  said  Goujet  boldly,  but  rather  inju- 
diciously, as  he  perceived,  no  sooner  were  the  words  out 
of  his  mouth. 

"  Then  our  captain  " — with  an  offensive  emphasis  on 
the  word  captain — "does  not  himself  know  the  place, 
and  we  have  been  tricked  into  a  month's  voyage  with 
neither  booty  nor  pay  to  reward  us  ?  Answer  !  what 
does  this  mean  ?' '  A  low  threatening  murmur  from  the 
crew  followed  these  words.  Lock  had  fixed  his  small 
savage  eyes  upon  Goujet.  He  perceived  his  embarrass- 
ment and  burst  out  again  more  defiantly  and  loudly  than 
before.  "There  is  some  deep-laid  plot  here  to  ruin  us 
all.  It  is  all  a  lie  about  the  treasure  ;  I  knew  it  from 
the  beginning.  Who  is  this  man,  Baillot,  whom  you 
yourself  brought  aboard,  and  whom  you  call  master? 
Master  !  Is  that  the  way  for  such  as  we  to  address  any 
man?  I  tell  you,  mates,  this  Goujet  is  a  traitor  !" 

"Have  it  your  own  way,"  said  Goujet  doggedly, 
planting  himself,  however,  in  an  attitude  which  an- 
nounced his  determination  to  defend  himself  to  the  last 
gasp.  "Have  it  your  own  way,  my  hearties.  You 
have  behaved  yourselves  well  up  to  now,  and  our  cap- 
302 


A  STORM  AT  SEA 

tain  said  to  me  only  last  night,  '  The  men  have  done 
well,'  he  says,  'and  do  you  divide  amongst  'em  this 
gold  to  make  merry  with,  while  we  victual  the  ship,  and 
get  everything  handy  to  finish  the  cruise. '  Here  you, 
Jorgesen,  divide  this  ;  and  mark  me,  this  ain't  a  begin- 
ning of  what's  coming  to  you  later  if  you  keep  on  be- 
having yourselves.  Ask  Lock  what  he1  s  got  for  you. 
The  whining  sawed-off  liar  !" 

Jorgesen  came  forward  and  received  the  canvas  bag 
which  clinked  musically  as  it  passed  into  his  hands. 
The  crew  gathered  around  him  instantly,  like  bees  about 
a  pot  of  honey. 

"  Good  !  as  long  as  it  lasts,"  muttered  Goujet,  "but 
it  won't  last  long."  Then  he  hurried  down  to  the 
cabin,  where  Baillot  was  making  ready,  with  a  some- 
what cloudy  and  anxious  brow,  for  his  expedition  ashore 
in  search  of  de  Miguel. 

"Ma  foi!  Master,  we  must  slip  away  as  fast  as  pos- 
sible," he  said,  "and  it  is  a  chance  if  we  ever  come 
back.  I  have  quieted  them  for  the  present  with  my 
five  hundred  pistoles,  but  'tis  only  a  mouthful  for  such 
as  they." 


303 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

AT   TERCIORA 

WHEN  Baillot  reached  the  deck,  he  found  the  ship 
surrounded  by  a  swarm  of  small  boats,  laden  with  tropi- 
cal fruits  and  nuts,  which  the  sailors  were  purchasing 
with  lavish  prodigality.  A  number  of  them  approached 
him  and  asked  for  leave  to  go  on  shore  with  a  show  of 
civility  that  surprised  him.  Goujet's  pistoles  had  ap- 
peased them  for  the  moment ;  as  long  as  the  gold  pieces 
clinked  musically  in  their  pockets,  they  had  but  one 
desire  in  the  world  and  that  was  to  spend  them. 

The  island  of  Terciora,  with  its  mountainous  slopes 
embowered  with  orange  and  lemon -groves,  the  white 
walls  of  its  detached  villages  and  huts  gleaming  through 
the  masses  of  greenery,  presented  a  most  charming  ap- 
pearance. As  Baillot  knew,  the  inhabitants  were  mostly 
Portuguese,  an  idle  and  unambitious  folk,  who  were 
content  to  scarcely  stir  the  surface  of  the  rich  volcanic 
soil,  which  would  have  yielded  ample  harvests  to  more 
industrious  husbandmen.  Arrived  on  shore,  he  made 
immediate  inquiry  for  one  Jose  de  Miguel,  and  was  di- 
rected to  a  village  about  a  mile  inland. 

As  the  two  men  tramped  silently  along,  the  hot  sun 
beating  down  upon  their  heads,  Goujet  wiped  his  face, 
all  shining  with  perspiration,  and  stole  a  keen  look  at 
his  silent  companion. 

"I  say,  master,"  he  said  at  length,  "this  island 
you've  been  telling  about  is  a  mighty  strange  place. 
3°4 


AT  TERCIORA 

I've  cruised  a  deal  about  these  parts,  and  I  never  heard 
of  it  before.  You  don't  suppose  now,  that  the  ship- 
wreck gave  you  a  touch  of  the  fever,  and  that  a  part  of 
all  this  was  a  kind  of — that  is  a  sort  of — that  is — ' ' 

"Peste,  man !  Do  you  take  me  for  an  escaped 
lunatic  ?' '  cried  Baillot,  stopping  short,  and  eyeing  his 
companion  somewhat  suspiciously.  "What  I  have 
told  you  is  no  figment  of  a  disordered  imagination,  but 
plain,  everyday  fact,  little  as  it  may  sound  so.  Return, 
if  you  will,  to  the  Rouge  et  Noir,  I  can  and  will  go  on 
alone. ' ' 

"Man  dieu,  no,  master!  I  didn't  mean  that.  You 
can't  get  rid  of  me  so  easily.  I  am  going  to  stick  to 
you  about  as  tight  as  your  shadow  from  now  on — at 
least  till  I  see  you  settled  a  bit  better  than  you  are  at 
present.  What  I  was  going  to  say  is  this,  if  the  man 
we're  in  search  of  don't  know  anything  about  the  place, 
or  won't  tell,  which  amounts  to  the  same  thing,  there's 
a  ship  in  the  harbor  now — or  what  answers  for  a  harbor 
— flying  the  English  flag.  She's  bound  for  the  English 
Colonies  in  America.  Now  what's  to  hinder  you  from 
just  stepping  on  board  of  her,  and  getting  off  to  the 
new  country.  With  a  thousand  pistoles  in  your  pocket 
you  could  make  yourself  a  grand  seignior  over  there. 
Come  now,  sir !  Why  not  ?  Let  those  shipwrecked 
folks  shift  for  themselves ;  perhaps  they  have  gone  from 
the  island  already.  You  may  lose  your  life  cruising 
about  after  them,  and  then  like  as  not  miss  them. 
They  are  nothing  to  you  anyhow  ;  I  can't  see  as  you 
are  beholden  to  them.  You  did  your  full  duty  when 
you  stuck  by  them  through  thick  and  thin  ;  you  didn't 
leave  them,  you  were  carried  off.  That  ends  your 
duties  to  them,  now  don't  it,  sir?" 

20  305 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Baillot  listened  to  this  tirade  in  perfect  silence.  He 
too  had  noticed  the  merchantman  flying  the  English 
colors.  ' '  How  do  you  know  that  yonder  vessel  is 
bound  for  America?"  he  said  at  length,  stopping  a 
moment  in  his  rapid  walk  to  take  another  look  at  the 
ship,  .fia/'j 

"Because  I  asked,  sir,"  said  Goujet,  delighted  at 
what  he  supposed  to  be  compliance  with  his  suggestion. 
"  She  sails  three  days  from  now,  or  as  soon  as  her  tim- 
bers are  repaired.  She  was  touched  a  bit  about  the  tops 
in  the  storm." 

"Three  days  !"  repeated  Baillot  thoughtfully,  "then 
if  we  can  get  off  to-day  we  might  possibly  be  able  to  get 
back  before  she  leaves  !" 

"Get  off  to-day!"  exclaimed  Goujet  ruefully. 
"  Then  you  will  not  give  up  this  mad  scheme?" 

"  No,  my  friend,  I  will  not.  I  would  not  sail  to-day 
in  yonder  ship  were  she  loaded  with  pistoles,  and  every 
coin  of  them  to  be  mine  on  landing. ' ' 

"JlfafoiS"  murmured  Goujet  thoughtfully,  half-clos- 
ing his  fiery  eyes  and  surveying  the  dark,  determined- 
looking  face  before  him.  A  new  light  was  breaking  in 
upon  him.  "Then  this  mademoiselle  is  very  beauti- 
ful, rf  est-ce  pas  ?  She  must  needs  be,  to  become  the 
Comtesse  de  Lantenac." 

"Goujet!"  cried  Baillot,  wheeling  suddenly  about, 
"  I  have  a  mind  to  knock  you  down  !  Because  I  must 
do  my  plain  Christian  duty  you  think — ' ' 

"Morbleu,  master,  do  not  be  angry  with  me  and  my 
poor  thoughts  !  I  meant  no  harm.  It  is  not  so  then, 
the  lady  is  old  and  ugly,  and  monsieur  will  rescue  her 
because  it  is  his  '  plain  Christian  duty. '  ' 

"A  plague  on  you  for  an  impertinent  rascal,  Gou- 
306 


AT  TERCIORA 

jet !"  said  Baillot,  a  smile  passing  over  his  face  in  spite 
of  himself.  "  No,  she  is  not  old  and  ugly.  She  is  as 
beautiful  as  an  angel,  as  brave  as  a  man,  and  as  pure  and 
good  as  was  my  mother.  I  do  love  her,  and  I  will  find 
her  if  it  takes  the  last  drop  of  blood  in  my  body  !" 

"It  is  well  said,  master.  You  shall  not  be  sorry 
that  you  have  told  me, ' '  said  Goujet  softly.  The  two 
strode  on  in  silence,  and  were  about  to  enter  the  strag- 
gling street  of  the  village  when  they  encountered  a 
half-grown,  gipsy-looking  lad  who  was  whistling  and 
singing  alternately  as  he  loitered  along,  a  basket  of 
oranges  poised  carelessly  upon  his  head.  He  stopped 
short  on  beholding  the  strangers  and  stared  at  them 
curiously. 

' '  Can  you  tell  me  which  is  the  house  of  Jose  de 
Miguel  ?' '  said  Baillot,  flinging  a  small  coin  in  the 
direction  of  the  lad,  who  caught  and  deposited  it 
deftly  in  some  mysterious  receptacle  of  his  parti -colored 
rags. 

"Si,  seignior  !"  replied  the  boy  eagerly.  "  I  myself 
will  conduct  you.  'Tis  only  a  few  steps." 

Following  the  boy  the  two  Frenchmen  presently 
found  themselves  in  the  courtyard  of  a  flat-roofed, 
adobe  house,  rather  more  pretentious  than  some  of  the 
neighboring  huts.  A  grape-vine  laden  with  half-ripe 
fruit  shaded  the  enclosure,  and  beneath  its  shelter,  ap- 
parently unmindful  of  the  dozen  or  so  swarthy,  half- 
naked  children  who  played  noisily  about,  sat  a  man. 
He  was  immensely  fat,  and  of  a  greasy,  swarthy  com- 
plexion ;  his  black  hair  falling  in  scanty  snake -locks 
upon  his  broad  shoulders,  half-concealed  the  gold  hoops 
which  swung  from  the  thick  lobes  of  his  ears.  For  the 
rest  he  seemed  asleep,  for  his  eyes  were  closed,  but  the 
3°7 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

regular  puff,  puff,  of  his  long -stemmed  pipe  showed  that 
this  was  not  the  case. 

"Padre!"  exclaimed  the  lad,  running  up  to  this 
somnolent  figure,  "Padre  !  here  are  seigniors  !" 

With  a  sort  of  inarticulate  grunt,  and  a  slow  wave  of 
the  hand,  the  man  opened  his  small,  beady  black  eyes, 
and  fixed  them  upon  the  two  men,  who  advanced  in 
response  to  his  gesture. 

"You  are  Jose  de  Miguel?"  said  Baillot  interro- 
gatively. The  man  replied  by  another  grunt  which 
might  mean  yes  or  no,  and  calmly  continued  his  smok- 
ing, again  allowing  his  eyes  to  close  slowly. 

' '  I  have  business  with  you,  Jose  de  Miguel ;  attend 
me,  for  I  am  in  haste  !" 

The  man  waved  one  hand  slightly  in  token  that  he 
understood,  but  he  neither  opened  his  eyes  nor  removed 
the  pipe  from  his  mouth. 

Baillot  stopped  for  a  moment  in  perplexity,  and  sur- 
veyed the  impassive  figure  before  him  with  something 
of  anger.  "You  are  uncivil,  sir,"  he  said  at  length, 
hoping  to  arouse  him.  "  I  tell  you  that  my  business  is 
weighty.  You  will  do  well  to  attend. ' ' 

The  man  did  not  stir,  but  Baillot  observed  that  he  had 
opened  his  eyes  again,  and  was  staring  at  him  fixedly. 

"  I  have  come  for  directions  and  a  chart  which  you 
have  in  your  possession,"  he  continued  boldly,  "for 
the  finding  of  a  certain  island  not  many  leagues  distant. 
I  do  not  name  the  island,  but  you  know  what  place  I 
refer  to.  There  is  a  certain  chateau  thereon,  and  many 
other  curious  things.  I  must  go  there  in  order  to  re- 
move four  shipwrecked  persons  who  were  left  there  some 
two  months  or  more  ago."  He  paused  when  he  had 
said  this,  and  waited  for  de  Miguel  to  answer. 
308 


AT  TERCIORA 

Except,  however,  for  a  slight  acceleration  in  the  puffs 
of  smoke  which  issued  from  his  pipe  there  was  no 
change  in  the  aspect  of  the  figure  in  the  chair.  He  still 
stared  unwinkingly  at  the  face  of  the  young  officer, 
which  gradually  assumed  the  hue  of  anger  under  the  cold 
impudent  look  of  the  small  black  eyes. 

' '  Have  the  goodness  to  inform  me,  sir,  if  you  com- 
prehend what  I  have  said  to  you?"  said  Baillot  at 
length.  He  had  spoken  in  excellent  Spanish  hereto- 
fore, he  now  changed  his  mode  of  address  to  French. 

' '  I  understand — your  words, ' '  grunted  de  Miguel, 
again  closing  his  eyes,  "but  not  their  meaning." 

"Can  you  understand  this?"  said  Baillot,  producing 
a  handful  of  gold  pieces  from  his  pocket,  and  clinking 
them  musically. 

The  effect  was  magical.  The  beady  black  eyes  flew 
open  at  once.  "  Here  Juan  !"  he  called  loudly,  "  lazy 
dog,  why  do  you  not  fetch  seats  for  the  seigniors  ?' ' 

The  lad  who  had  been  hanging  about  the  doorway, 
watching  the  scene  with  an  interested  eye,  hastily  fetched 
a  couple  of  rude  benches  from  the  interior  of  the  hut. 

"Be  seated,  seigniors!"  said  de  Miguel  blandly, 
with  a  wave  of  his  hand.  "  You  have  a  paper  to  show 
me,  is  it  not  so?" 

"I  have  nothing  to  show  you  except  this,"  declared 
Baillot  firmly,  producing  another  handful  of  the  coins 
from  his  pocket. 

The  eye  of  the  Portuguese  gleamed  covetously  for  a 
moment,  but  he  lay  back  in  his  chair  and  resumed  his 
smoking,  without  having  spoken  a  word. 

"The  paper  of  which  you  speak  is  unimportant," 
urged  the  young  man  in  a  fury  of  impatience.      "You 
are  well  aware  that  the  place  has  been  abandoned. ' ' 
3°9 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Goujet  meanwhile  had  arisen  from  his  bench  and  was 
amusing  himself  with  the  children,  who  seemed  to  take 
to  him  amazingly.  He  finally  seated  himself  upon  the 
ground  quite  at  his  ease,  and  was  exhibiting  to  half-a- 
score  of  admiring  black  eyes  a  marvelous  watch,  which 
it  is  to  be  feared  had  not  come  into  his  possession  in  the 
ordinary  and  legitimate  manner.  The  lad,  whom  his 
father  had  addressed  as  Juan,  was  to  all  appearances  as 
much  fascinated  by  the  shining  object  as  the  others ;  he 
drew  close  to  Goujet  and  listened  open-mouthed  to  the 
explanations,  which  that  worthy  was  giving  in  excellent 
Spanish,  with  a  pause  now  and  again  to  observe  the 
progress  of  the  halting  conversation  between  de  Miguel 
and  his  master. 

' '  I  am  prepared, ' '  Baillot  was  saying,  ' '  to  pay  well 
for  the  information." 

De  Miguel's  sole  reply  was  one  of  his  non-committal 
ejaculations.  ' '  This  is  not  the  man  we  are  looking  for, 
master,"  said  Goujet,  rising  suddenly  and  thrusting  the 
watch  into  his  fob.  "  He  is  rich,  he  wants  none  of  our 
gold.  We  have  only  to  sail  in  a  certain  direction  that 
I  know  of  for  three  days,  and  we  shall  find  the  place. ' ' 
He  said  this  at  a  venture,  as  one  will  fire  a  careless  shot 
into  the  air,  but  it  did  amazing  execution. 

"Juan!"  cried  de  Miguel  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
"  What  you  doing  here  !  Have  I  not  told  you  to  carry 
those  oranges  ?  You  shall  presently  miss  a  large  portion 
of  your  hinder  skin,  for  I  will  take  it  from  you  !" 

"I  didn't  tell  him,  father,"  whined  the  lad,  taking 
up  his  basket,  "  I  didn't  say — " 

"Hold  your  tongue,  son  of  perdition!"   roared  de 
Miguel,  the  great  veins  standing  out  upon  his  forehead 
in  a  manner  alarmingly  suggestive  of  apoplexy. 
310 


AT  TERCIORA 

"  We  shall  go  on,  shall  we  not,  my  lord  ?"  continued 
Goujet,  grinning  delightedly.  "We  must  look  at  that 
sloop  also,  you  know." 

"You  wish  to  buy  a  vessel,  excellency?"  said  de  Mi- 
guel with  a  sudden  access  of  politeness.  "  I  shall  per- 
haps be  able  to  serve  you.  I  have  a  most  beautiful,  ah, 
a  most  charming — ' ' 

"  I  must  first  obtain  the  charts,"  interrupted  Baillot. 
"  It  is  true  that  we  already  know  much  about  the  island, 
I  myself  have  been  there  only  a  short  time  ago.  But  I 
wish  to  lose  no  time  in  returning  thither,  my  errand  be- 
ing solely  to  remove  the  persons  of  whom  I  spoke  to 
you." 

"  What  persons  do  you  refer  to?"  asked  de  Miguel, 
resuming  his  former  impenetrable  air  of  dulness. 

"There  were  two  ladies,  a  colored  man,  and  an 
English  sailor,  Winters  by  name,"  replied  Baillot, 
deeming  it  best  to  be  perfectly  frank  with  the  man. 
A  gleam  of  intelligence  passed  swiftly  over  the  face 
of  the  Portuguese  which  did  not  escape  the  notice  of 
Goujet. 

"Were  there  no  others?" 

"  There  was  no  one  else.  The  island  was  deserted 
as  I  have  told  you,  when  this  shipwrecked  party  ar- 
rived." 

De  Miguel  dropped  his  head,  he  seemed  to  be  think- 
ing deeply. 

« '  The  chart ! ' '  exclaimed  Baillot  impatiently.  « '  Will 
you  give  it  me  ?' ' 

"  Come  back  to-morrow  at  the  same  hour." 

"  But  I  want  it  now — to-day.     I  must  have  it." 

"  Come  back  to-morrow  at  the  same  hour." 

"  I  will  give  you  a  hundred  pistoles — two  hundred — " 
3" 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  To-morrow  at  the  same  hour,"  repeated  de  Miguel 
doggedly. 

"Come,  master!"  whispered  Goujet,  "there  is  no- 
thing to  be  gained  by  talking  with  the  old  rascal  further. 
Let  us  go." 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

GEORGES    MENDON    OF    PARIS 

"  IF  I  am  not  mistaken,  master,"  said  Goujet,  as  the 
two  walked  slowly  away,  "we  shall  shortly  find  our- 
selves betwixt  the  devil  and  the  deep  sea.  What  with 
our  crew  expecting  plunder,  and  that  old  serpent  yon- 
der who  is  meditating  some  villainy  or  other — Hold,  I 
have  a  plan  ! ' ' 

"What  is  it?"  said  Baillot  gloomily. 

"  Buy,  rent  or  steal  a  small  vessel  of  some  sort,  then 
kidnap  that  little  rascal  of  a  Juan  and  force  him  to 
show  us  where  the  place  is ;  he  knows,  I'll  be  bound." 

"A  bold  enough  plan,  but — " 

"But  what?" 

"There  are  a  dozen  reasons  why  it  might  not  suc- 
ceed. In  the  first  place,  while  the  boy  undoubtedly 
knows  something  about  the  place — has  been  there  per- 
haps, once  out  at  sea  without  chart,  he  could  do  noth- 
ing. Again  he  fears  his  father,  he  would  refuse. ' ' 

"  He  shall  shortly  fear  me  more." 

"Let  us  wait  until  to-morrow,"  said  Baillot  wearily, 
"  de  Miguel  may  be  inclined  to  accept  some  of  the 
gold  pieces  by  that  time. ' ' 

"Yes,  and  in  the  meanwhile  perhaps  a  dozen  other 
things  may  happen.  Man  dieu  !  but  it  is  hot. ' ' 

"Yes,"  repeated  Baillot,  mechanically  raising  his 
hand  to  his  head,  "it  is  hot,  and  my  head — "  He 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

spoke  in  a  dull  hollow  tone,  and  Goujet  looking  at  him 
attentively  observed  that  he  reeled  like  a  drunken  man. 

"Diable  /"  he  exclaimed  under  his  breath.  "  He  is 
ill !  Sit  down  here  in  the  shade,  master,  and  rest  a 
while. ' '  Baillot  apparently  did  not  hear,  he  walked  a 
few  steps  further,  then  staggered  and  would  have  fallen, 
but  for  the  faithful  Goujet  who  caught  him  in  his 
arms. 

"What  shall  I  do?"  he  muttered,  looking  about  him 
in  perplexity.  "I  will  take  him  here,"  beckoning  to 
a  ragged  peasant  who  had  stopped  to  stare  at  them  curi- 
ously. The  two  carried  the  unconscious  man  into  a 
small  hut  near  the  roadway,  and  laid  him  down  on  the 
cool  earthen  floor. 

' '  Here  you,  fetch  water — brandy,  quick  ! ' '  called 
Goujet  distractedly  to  the  dark-eyed  mistress  of  the 
house,  who  had  paused  in  her  occupation  of  sorting 
lemons  at  this  sudden  intrusion  into  her  domicile. 

"Is  it  the  rum  then,  and  at  this  hour  of  the  day?" 
she  said  indifferently  enough.  "  Why  do  you  bring  the 
man  here  ?  My  husband  will  not  be  pleased. ' ' 

"  The  devil  take  you  !"  roared  Goujet.  "  Don't  you 
see  that  the  man  is  ill  ?  He  is  a  great  lord  and  can 
pave  your  dirty  floor  with  gold.  Take  this  and  attend 
him  at  once !"  And  he  flung  the  woman  one  of  the 
few  coins  which  he  had  left. 

The  sight  of  the  gold  had  the  usual  enlivening  effect ; 
the  woman  hastened  to  fetch  water  with  which  she  pro- 
ceeded to  bathe  the  unconscious  man's  head,  while 
Goujet  forced  open  his  clenched  teeth  and  poured  a 
spoonful  of  brandy  down  his  throat. 

Under  this  treatment  the  patient  after  awhile  opened 
his  eyes  and  groaned.  Fortunately  he  had  not  been 


GEORGES  MENDON  OF  PARIS 

smitten  with  a  genuine  sunstroke.  Had  that  been  the 
case  the  career  of  the  last  Comte  de  Lantenac  might 
shortly  have  ended  in  a  nameless  grave.  The  mental 
strain  of  the  past  few  months  had  been  terrific ;  this  to- 
gether with  the  almost  tropical  heat,  and  the  disap- 
pointment which  he  felt  in  having  failed  to  obtain  the 
chart,  had  combined  to  bring  about  the  unfortunate 
seizure.  In  a  word  he  was  overtaken  by  a  calamity  to 
which  all  flesh,  however  heroic  the  spirit  within,  is 
liable.  As  he  opened  his  eyes  he  dimly  recognized  the 
face  of  Goujet  bending  over  him,  but  he  felt  the  most 
profound  indifference  as  to  what  might  thereafter 
happen. 

During  the  hours  that  followed,  the  dark  anxious 
face  of  Goujet,  the  broad  jovial  countenance  of  Winters, 
the  sweet  looks  of  Madeline  all  mingled  in  a  dim  and 
frightful  phantasmagoria,  through  which  he  was  vaguely 
conscious  of  figures  coming  and  going,  of  low-toned 
conversations,  which  he  partly  comprehended  and  fever- 
ishly wove  into  his  fantastic  imaginings.  It  was  not 
until  the  third  day  after,  that  he  woke  in  his  right  mind, 
to  find  himself  lying  on  a  not  uncomfortable  couch  in  a 
small  dark  hut,  none  of  the  details  of  whose  interior  he 
remembered  to  have  seen  before. 

As  he  lay  quite  still,  his  eyes  roving  in  idle  and  in- 
different curiosity  about  the  cobwebby  rafters  of  the 
roof,  he  became  aware  that  some  one  was  near  him  ;  he 
turned  his  head  feebly,  and  beheld  Goujet.  The  pirate 
was  sitting  on  a  low  bench,  his  arms  hanging  at  his 
side,  his  head  leaning  back  against  the  wall.  Baillot 
observed  still  further  that  he  was  sleeping,  for  his  eyes 
were  closed,  while  his  mouth  remained  half-open. 
The  whole  figure  of  the  man  expressed  extreme 
3^5 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

weariness,  as  of  one  who  has  unwillingly  succumbed  to 
an  exhaustion  which  he  can  no  longer  combat.  Before 
him  stood  a  bottle  half-full  of  some  dark  liquid,  beside 
it  a  cup,  also  a  wooden  bowl  carefully  covered.  While 
the  sick  man's  eyes  were  slowly  taking  in  these  details, 
and  the  brain  behind  was  weakly  trying  to  grasp  the 
situation,  Goujet  suddenly  awoke.  He  gave  a  sudden 
start,  and  shook  his  great  shoulders  with  a  frown,  as  if 
displeased  with  himself  for  having  slept.  He  then  took 
up  the  bottle  and  eyeing  it  critically,  proceeded  to 
measure  out  with  extreme  nicety  a  portion  of  its  con- 
tents, this  he  carefully  mingled  with  water  in  the  cup, 
then  rising,  tiptoed  toward  the  couch.  Observing  that 
the  eyes  of  his  patient  were  open,  he  paused,  and  said 
very  softly, 

"  Master,  do  you  know  me?" 

"Know  you,  of  course;  why  not?"  said  Baillot  with 
some  irritation.  "  But  where  am  I?  What  is  the  mat- 
ter with  me  ?' ' 

"Ah,  thank  God  !"  exclaimed  Goujet  with  real  fer- 
vor. ' '  Take  these  drops,  then  sleep,  afterward  you  will 
be  yourself. ' ' 

Too  weak  to  protest,  the  sick  man  swallowed  the 
draught,  then  closing  his  eyes  sank  into  a  deep  dreamless 
slumber. 

When  he  awoke  the  second  time  it  was  toward  even- 
ing. Feeling  considerably  refreshed  and  strengthened 
he  looked  about  him  with  some  curiosity.  Goujet  was 
no  longer  sitting  beside  the  c'ouch,  in  his  place  was  a 
woman,  clad  gaily  in  a  yellow  gown  striped  with  red, 
an  attire  which  set  off  admirably  the  rich  dark  hues  of 
her  velvety  skin.  Her  black  hair  was  braided  under  a 
gay  little  cap  of  red  and  gold,  while  from  the  tips  of 
316 


GEORGES  MENDON  OF  PARIS 

her  small  ears  depended  long  earrings,  reaching  almost 
to  her  shoulder.  Her  slender  brown  hands  were  crossed 
idly  in  her  lap  ;  as  soon,  however,  as  she  perceived  that 
her  patient  was  awake,  she  sprang  up  with  a  delighted 
little  laugh. 

"  Ah,  seignior,"  she  said  gaily,  her  head  on  one  side, 
her  white  teeth  showing  through  the  parted  crimson  of 
her  lips,  "  you  are  awake  at  last — such  a  sleep  !  But  it 
is  good — very  good.  Now  you  shall  eat,  I  have  a  broth 
most  excellent,  made  exactly  as  the  wise  seignior  from 
the  ship  yonder  bade  me.  'Take  two  young  fowls,' 
he  said,  '  and  cook  them  gently  many  hours,  and  of  the 
liquor  that  remains  give  him,  when  he  shall  awake,  some 
great  spoonfuls,  adding  also  of  salt  a  little.'  See  !"  she 
continued,  "  I  will  feed  you.  You  have  not  the  strength, 
is  it  not  so  ?' ' 

"Where  is  Goujet?"  said  Baillot. 

1  'Ah,  you  mean  the  good  seignior  who  takes  care  of 
you.  It  is  true  that  he  has  scarcely  left  you  for  a  single 
moment.  Such  devotion  never  have  I  seen,  he  has 
neither  slept  nor  eaten. — Does  the  broth  please  you, 
my  lord?" 

"It  is  excellent,"  replied  Baillot  who  had  taken  the 
spoon  from  her  hand  and  was  eating  with  a  very  good 
appetite.  "  But  Goujet,  where  is  he?" 

' '  But  a  short  time  ago  Jose  de  Miguel  stopped  to 
make  inquiries  for  you,  and  the  seignior  went  away  with 
him  ;  he  left  me  in  charge  ;  he  will  be  back  directly." 

' '  Jose  de  Miguel ! ' '  repeated  Baillot  meditatively, 
"and  what  might  he  want?" 

"  It  was  about  a  ship,  for  I  heard  the  talk  between 
them.  Jose  de  Miguel  is  rich — very  rich  indeed.  He 
has  business  with  many  strangers ;  I  myself  have  seen 
317 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

them.  Much  gold — ah,  I  could  never  tell  you  how 
much — passes  into  his  hands.  You  also  came  here  to 
see  him,  is  it  not  so  ?  You  will  do  well  to  listen  to  me, 
the  man  has  dark  ways  with  him — yes,  it  is  so.  I  tell 
you  because  I  care  not  for  de  Miguel ;  I  have  my  own 
reasons  also. ' '  The  speaker  tossed  her  pretty  head  and 
frowned  till  her  black  brows  met  in  a  straight  line  above 
her  flashing  eyes.  "Ah!"  she  continued,  drawing  a 
deep  breath  and  permitting  the  dimples  to  steal  slowly 
back  into  her  brown  cheeks.  "You  would  never  be- 
lieve how  wicked  he  is  !  I  say  my  prayers  out  of  pure 
fright  every  time  I  see  his  fat  black  face — the  saints  for- 
give me  !  But  my  husband  can  take  care  of  me.  You 
have  not  seen  my  husband  ?  As  tall  as  yourself,  seig- 
nior, and  perhaps  more  handsome."  She  paused  to 
survey  her  patient,  her  head  on  one  side  like  a  medita- 
tive bird.  Giuseppe  is  displeased  that  you  are  here," 
she  continued,  laughing  softly.  ' '  He  is  perhaps  jealous  ! 
But  of  that  I  am  glad — yes  !  He  would  not  be  jealous 
if  he  did  not  love  me.  Betta's  husband  does  not  care  a 
pistareen  for  her.  He  says  Betta  could  have  taken  bet- 
ter care  of  you  than  I.  It  is  not  true.  He  only  wanted 
the  gold.  As  for  myself  I  care  not  for  gold,  though  it 
is  true  that — " 

"You  shall  have  money  to  buy  some  new  gowns, 
and—" 

"A  necklace?"  broke  in  his  hostess  eagerly. 

"  A  necklace,  certainly,  and  anything  else  that  you 
wish,"  said  Baillot  a  little  wearily,  "but  will  you  not  go 
to  the  door  and  see  if  Goujet  is  coming?" 

"  He  is  not  coming  yet,"  said  the  young  woman  re- 
turning to  the  bedside.  "He  will  come  soon.  You 
have  had  visitors — yes,  the  doctor  from  the  English 


GEORGES  MENDON  OF  PARIS 

ship,  twice,  thrice,  and  with  him  once  came  seigniors, 
one  very  tall  man  with  a  great  beard,  snow  white. 
They  wished  to  carry  you  away  on  their  ship,  but  the 
seignior — Goujet  you  call  him  ? — would  not  permit  of 
it.  He  said  you  would  not  wish  to  find  yourself  carried 
away. — Already  I  hear  the  steps  of  one.  It  may  be 
that  he  comes." 

"Ah,  master!"  said  Goujet  as  he  entered  the  hut. 
"You  look  yourself  again.  Man  dieu  !  but  I  feared 
the  worst  one  day.  Had  you  died  then,  all  would  have 
been  over  with  me ;  they  might  have  dug  for  us  one 
grave.  But  that's  past  now,  thank  God  !  I  have  a  lot 
of  news  for  you,  if  you  are  fit  to  hear  it." 

"Fit?  Yes,  and  anxious  to  hear  it!  My  tongue 
aches  with  questions,  but — "  and  he  glanced  signifi- 
cantly at  the  woman,  who  was  looking  at  them  with  an 
air  of  childish  curiosity,  though  as  the  conversation  was 
carried  on  in  French,  it  is  doubtful  whether  she  under- 
stood a  word  of  what  was  spoken. 

"Go  outside  now,  mistress,"  said  Goujet,  with  scant 
ceremony.  "  I  will  look  after  my  lord  for  the  present. 
To  begin  with, ' '  he  continued  when  they  were  alone, 
"  the  Rouge  et  Noir  is  gone." 

' '  Gone  ! ' '  exclaimed  Baillot.      ' '  When  and  where  ?' ' 

' '  The  very  day  after  AVC  landed,  but  where — of  course 
I  know  not.  I  only  hope  '  tis  far  enough  off  from  these 
parts.  That  first  night  when  you  lay  like  a  log  because 
of  the  medicine  you  had  taken,  I  stole  out,  got  into  the 
skiff  and  rowed  out  to  where  our  ship  lay.  I  had  taken 
the  precaution  to  muffle  my  oars,  so  I  slipped  around 
under  her  cabin  ports  without  a  bit  of  a  splash  to  betray 
me.  I  heard  a  great  noise  of  shouting  and  swearing  from 
within,  and  swinging  myself  up  by  a  rope  that  hung 
3*9 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

over  the  side  I  managed  to  get  a  peep  inside.  There  sat 
Lock  and  two  or  three  others,  roaring  drunk,  the  floor 
covered  with  broken  bottles  and  a  dozen  full  ones  atop 
of  the  table. 

"  *  What  are  you  going  to  do  with  that  lying 
knave,  Goujet,  when  he  comes  back?'  sings  out  one 
of  them.  '  Walk  him  over  the  plank  lively,  with 
enough  shot  on  his  heels  to  keep  him  down  till  the  day 
of  judgment, '  says  Lock,  '  and  as  for  the  sneak  that 
brought  us  here,  drowning' s  a  heap  too  good  for  him, 
we'll — '  but  I  won't  tell  you  what  he  said,  sir.  The 
low-lived  murderer !  I  had  a  mind  to  shoot  him 
through  the  port,  but  I  thinks  to  myself  that  I  might 
get  caught  if  I  did,  and  that  would  leave  you  to  shift 
for  yourself,  which  you  weren't  in  a  condition  to  do  just 
then.  So  I  got  down  off  the  rope,  but  before  I  took 
leave  of  them  I  just  played  a  little  trick  that  I  learned 
when  I  was  a  boy.  You  should  have  seen  the  rascals 
when  a  deep  hollow  voice  apparently  from  under  the 
table  said,  'You  are  doomed  men,  if  you  lay  but  a 
finger  on  him  who  was  your  captain,  or  on  Goujet.' 
Up  they  jumped  as  pale  as  a  cloth,  swearing  fit  to  lift 
the  ship  out  of  the  water,  and  whilst  they  were  all  rais- 
ing a  great  hue  and  cry,  tumbling  one  over  the  other  to 
get  to  the  deck,  I  slipped  away.  The  very  next  morn- 
ing before  sunrise  they  were  off. ' ' 

"Good,  so  far,"  commented  Baillot.  "What 
next  ?' ' 

' '  The  lady  of  the  house  has  perhaps  told  you  how  I 
had  the  surgeon  from  the  English  ship  to  see  you.  I 
met  him  down  at  the  port.  He  was  for  carrying 
you  off  with  them,  said  you  wanted  good  care  for  a 
month." 

320 


GEORGES  MENDON  OF  PARIS 

"I  am  all  right  now,"  cried  Baillot.  "  'Tis  lucky 
you  didn't  allow  it." 

"I  knew  you'd  say  so — if  you  ever  spoke  again, 
which  didn't  seem  likely  at  one  time.  Two  of  the  pas- 
sengers came  with  him  one  day,  they  were  of  the  same 
mind,  but  I  wouldn't  give  in.  They  asked  a  lot  of 
questions,  but  I  didn't  give  them  much  satisfaction;  I 
didn't  know  what  they  might  be  up  to.  Told  them 
your  name  was  Georges  Mendon,  that  you  were  an  agent 
for  a  company  in  Paris.  Threw  them  off  the  track  what- 
ever mischief  they  had  in  mind. ' ' 

Baillot  laughed  weakly.  "  Did  they  look  like  ras- 
cals?" 

"You  can't  always  spot  a  rascal,  sir,"  replied  Goujet 
sagely.  "  I've  learned  that ;  a  piouser,  milder-looking 
man  than  our  late  captain,  Fisher,  you  wouldn't  want 
to  see,  but  he  was  the  very  devil.  At  all  events  they've 
gone  too,  sailed  yesterday.  Now  the  best  thing  I  have 
to  tell  you  is  that  old  de  Miguel  has  come  to  time." 

' '  Ah  !     Then  you  have  the  chart  ?' ' 

' '  Not  yet.  You  see  the  money  was  in  a  belt  about 
your  body,  and  I  didn't  want  to  meddle  with  it,  but 
he'  11  hand  it  over  anytime  now.  I  had  to  go  high  for 
it  though,  five  hundred  pistoles." 

"Good!  it's  worth  it  if  we  may  be  sure  he's  not 
lying." 

"I've  fixed  that,"  said  Goujet  grinning.  "  He's  to 
go  along,  and  if  he  is  lying  why  he'll  suffer  for  it,  that's 
all." 

"But  a  ship?" 

"He's  got  one,  a  little  beauty.  I  saw  him  chaffer- 
ing for  it  with  one  of  the  very  men  who  came  here  to 
see  you.  They  were  evidently  the  owners.  He  bought 
21  321 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

it  of  them  and  will  let  us  have  the  use  of  it  for  ten  days, 
for  three  hundred  pistoles.  Not  a  livre  less,  though  I've 
been  beating  him  down  all  I  could ;  that  only  leaves  you 
a  couple  of  hundreds. ' ' 

"  It  is  enough,"  said  Baillot  thoughtfully,  "but  now 
let  us  sleep,  to-morrow  I  must  be  up  and  about  this 
business.  God  only  knows  how  important  may  be  a 
single  day  to  those  on  the  island." 


322 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 

THE   DEPARTURE 

WE  left  our  friend  Winters  sound  asleep  with  his 
companions  in  the  cavern  on  the  island,  while  over 
them  in  the  darkness  hung  the  baleful  figure  of  the  con- 
vict, armed  with  the  knife  which  he  had  secreted,  and 
with  which  he  meant  presently  to  make  an  end  of 
every  creature  on  the  island  except  himself  and  Made- 
line, whom  he  had  chosen  as  the  companion  of  his 
guilty  solitude. 

But  the  Huguenot  pastor,  Constantin  Dinant,  was 
not  asleep.  He  had  not  slept  during  the  night ;  he  had 
beguiled  the  long  hours  with  prayers,  none  the  less  fer- 
vent because  they  were  inaudible. 

"Why  bemoan  a  sleepless  night?"  he  was  wont  to 
say.  ' '  These  are  the  hours  that  God  snatches  for  us 
out  of  the  thirsty  waste  of  our  lives,  wherein  to  give  us 
the  living  water.  Rejoice  then,  when  sleep  forsakes 
thine  eyes,  for  it  is  a  sign  of  favor.  Surely  communion 
with  the  King  of  kings  is  better  than  the  unconscious- 
ness of  sleep,  which  is  ours  in  common  with  the  meaner 
animals. ' ' 

In  accordance  with  these  favorite  precepts,  the  good 
man  was  lying  with  clasped  hands — beneath  which 
however  lay  the  flint  and  steel,  of  which  he  had  taken 
possession  when  he  perceived  that  Winters  slept. 
"From  the  evil  devices  of  men,  do  thou  preserve  us, 
oh  Lord  !"  he  was  saying.  "  Give  thine  angels  charge 
323 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

concerning  this  little  company!"  When  suddenly  a 
strange  sound  came  to  his  ears  ;  it  was  not  a  loud  sound, 
only  a  gentle  gurgling,  as  if  something  had  been  poured 
out  from  a  flask.  Instantly  he  sat  up  and  struck  a 
light,  calling  at  the  same  time  in  a  loud  tremulous  voice 
upon  his  companions. 

"What  is  it,  sir?"  cried  Winters  starting  to  his  feet, 
while  the  others — all  save  one,  sat  up  and  began  sleepily 
to  rub  their  eyes. 

'  *  Nay !  I  know  not,  perhaps  I  have  aroused  you 
from  your  slumbers  without  a  cause,"  began  the  good 
pastor,  "but  I  thought  the  Lord  said  unto  me,  arise! 
and  I—" 

"  No,  by  the  Lord,  you  did  not  arouse  us  without  a 
cause  ! ' '  cried  Winters,  who  had  snatched  the  torch 
from  his  hand,  and  instigated  a  hasty  search  about  the 
place.  "Look!"  All  gathered  about  and  gazed  in 
horror  upon  the  body  of  one  of  their  number.  The 
man  had  been  stabbed  through  the  heart  and  had  died 
instantly,  as  the  peaceful  expression  of  his  face  bore 
witness. 

"  Now  where  is  the  hell-hound  that  has  done  this 
thing?"  roared  Winters,  snatching  up  a  heavy  club 
from  the  ground.  "He  shall  die,  and  that  without 
mercy  ! "  As  he  flashed  the  light  of  the  torch  into  the 
dark  corners  of  the  place  a  crouching  figure  leapt  out. 
Winters  sprang  to  one  side,  barely  escaping  the  murder- 
ous lunge  of  the  knife. 

"  Consarn  ye,  ye  miserable  varmint !"  bellowed  the 
old  sailor,  fetching  a  tremendous  blow  at  his  assailant ; 
the  creature  dodged  and  doubled,  then  with  a  long  howl 
like  that  of  a  maddened  wolf  darted  down  the  passage- 
way that  led  to  the  chateau. 
324 


THE  DEPARTURE 

' '  Pursue  and  slay  ! ' '  shouted  the  aged  pastor,  his 
blood  thoroughly  on  fire  with  righteous  wrath.  "The 
sword  of  Gideon  and  of  the  Lord  !" 

Accordingly  the  whole  company,  armed  with  what- 
ever they  could  lay  hands  upon  in  the  confusion  of  the 
moment,  followed  the  flying  figure  of  the  convict. 
Unfortunately  a  gust  of  wind  which  drew  adown  the 
draughty  passage  extinguished  their  torch  and  they  were 
suddenly  left  in  total  darkness. 

"The  flint — the  flint !"  cried  Winters.  From  some- 
where at  a  little  distance  there  came  a  mocking  laugh, 
which  echoing  along  the  low -vaulted  roof  of  the  pas- 
sage and  ringing  in  their  startled  ears,  froze  the  very 
blood  in  their  veins. 

"Back — back  to  the  cavern,"  whispered  Dinant. 
"Woe  is  me  !  I  have  left  the  implements  behind." 

Several  minutes  were  consumed  in  finding  the  flint 
and  steel,  and  when  the  light  of  the  torch  once  more 
flared  upon  the  pale  anxious  faces  of  the  Huguenots, 
there  seemed  to  be  a  general  disposition  on  the  part  of 
all  of  them  to  consider  the  situation  with  a  little  more 
care. 

"  I  tell  ye  we  must  sarch  out  the  bloody  villain  and 
put  an  end  to  him  !"  declared  Winters  stoutly.  "As 
long  as  he's  atop  of  the  'arth  he'll  be  doin'  mischief  to 
somebody. ' ' 

"  The  Lord  delighteth  not  in  a  bloody  man  !"  quoted 
the  minister  solemnly.  " — I  repent  me  of  my  thoughts 
towards  the  man,  for  I  would  have  slain  him  willingly 
but  now.  Yet  has  the  Lord  again  spared  his  life  for 
some  purpose  of  his  own ;  it  may  be  that  he  will  yet 
repent  him  of  his  evil  ways.  Let  us  leave  him  alive  to 
a  life  of  solitude  on  this  island,  where  surrounded  by 
325 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

the  impassable  boundary  of  ocean,  and  the  silent  forms 
of  the  dead,  he  may  finish  his  allotted  time.  God  will 
not  neglect  to  avenge  the  death  of  his  servant  who  has 
departed  from  us  this  night. ' ' 

Such  also  was  the  judgment  of  the  others. 

' '  Surely  you  do  not  desire  the  death  of  this  poor 
misguided  wretch,"  said  the  pastor  mildly,  turning  to 
Winters,  who  plainly  showed  that  he  was  dissatisfied 
with  the  decision.  "  It  would  only  add  blood  to  blood ; 
it  would  utterly  fail  to  restore  life  to  yonder  pale  form. 
What  profit  would  there  be  for  us  to  slay  the  man,  and 
what  harm  to  leave  him  alive  in  this  desolate  spot  ?' ' 

"That's  all  very  well,  parson,"  replied  Winters. 
"I  ain't  in  favor  of  killin'  as  an  occupation,  an'  I 
never  done  much  of  it,  but  if  a  man  ever  desarved  to 
be  put  to  death  it's  the  varmint  what's  in  hidin'  yonder. 
Don't  it  say  in  yer  Bible,  'Whoever  sheds  blood,  by 
man  shall  his  blood  be  shed  ?'  An'  as  far  as  this  bein' 
a  desolate  spot,  a  desolate  spot  it  is,  an'  mighty  un- 
pleasant for  a  man  to  stay  in  all  by  himself,  but  we  was 
shipwrecked  here — leastways  the  women,  Cato  an'  my- 
self, as  well  as  him  that's  gone — an'  what's  to  hinder 
somebody  else  bein'  cast  up  here  in  the  same  way? 
Wouldn't  it  be  ruther  hard  on  'em  to  meet  with  a  man- 
eatin'  tiger  loose  about  the  place  ?' ' 

"A  most  unlikely  happening,  friend,"  said  the  Hu- 
guenot, shaking  his  head,  "and  hardly  sufficient  reason 
for  us  to  risk  our  lives  in  endeavoring  to  ferret  out  this 
dangerous  man,  who  is  undoubtedly  secreted  in  the 
ruins,  from  whence  it  might  prove  most  difficult,  if  not 
dangerous,  to  dislodge  him. ' ' 

"Now  you're  talkin'  sense,"  said  Winters.  "I'm 
willin'  to  admit  that  it  'ud  be  no  fool's  job  to  git  at  the 
326 


THE  DEPARTURE 

rascal ;  'bout  as  easy  I  reckon  as  to  find  an  Injun  or  a 
rattlesnake,  once  they've  set  about  it  to  hide. — Wall, 
I'm  willin'  to  leave  the  cuss,  if  you  all  say  so ;  but  I'd 
a  sight  ruther  the  breath  was  outside  of  him  fust. ' ' 

Strangely  enough,  when  the  women  were  acquainted 
with  what  had  occurred,  Madeline  was  found  to  be  of 
the  same  opinion. 

' '  I  can' t  bear  to  think  of  going  away  and  leaving 
him  here,"  she  said  with  a  shudder.  "  Suppose  some 
one  should  come  ?' ' 

"As  our  good  pastor  says,  my  child,"  said  her 
mother  gently,  ''it  is  extremely  unlikely  that  such  a 
thing  will  occur.  What  could  anyone  want  in  this 
most  God-forsaken  spot  ?' ' 

"You  have  forgotten  M.  Baillot,"  said  Madeline, 
blushing  rosily.  "I  am  sure  that  he  will  return  to 
search  for  us. ' ' 

"I  have  given  up  all  hope  of  that  long  ago.  He 
would  have  returned  ere  this  had  it  been  possible  for 
him  to  do  so.  I  fear  that  his  fate  will  remain  forever 
hidden  from  us." 

"  He  will  return,  I  know — I  feel  it !"  declared  Mad- 
eline passionately,  but  the  blush  died  away  from  her 
cheeks. 

"Of  whom  are  you  speaking?"  said  St.  Andr6. 
"What!  are  you  not  satisfied  with  having  recovered 
your  brother  that  you  must  lose  your  roses  at  the 
thought  of  this  missing  sailor?"  he  asked,  looking 
keenly  at  the  girl's  downcast  face.  "But  come,"  he 
added  gravely,  "we  are  about  to  commit  the  body  of 
our  unfortunate  companion  to  the  earth,  after  which  we 
shall  get  away  from  this  accursed  spot  with  what  speed 
we  may." 

327 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

The  service  at  the  grave  of  the  dead  Huguenot  was  a 
brief  one,  for  the  tide  which  must  bear  their  little  craft 
out  into  the  ocean  was  about  to  turn,  and  all  was  ready 
for  the  start.  The  grave  had  been  dug  near  the  tomb 
where  the  angel  of  marble  still  kept  guard,  for,  strangely 
enough,  this  spot  alone  had  escaped  the  hands  of  the 
despoilers.  The  body  swathed  in  a  blanket,  which  the 
survivors  had  taken  from  their  slender  store,  was  laid  in 
the  hole  which  had  been  dug  for  it,  the  earth  was 
quickly  replaced,  a  brief  prayer  was  breathed  by  the 
aged  pastor,  and  all  was  over.  Immediately  afterward 
the  little  company  in  silence  and  sadness  wended  their 
way  toward  the  shore. 

Up  to  this  time  nothing  had  been  seen  of  the  con- 
vict ;  he  had  doubtless  lain  concealed  in  the  ruins  of  the 
chateau,  keeping  a  close  watch  upon  the  movements  of 
the  party.  No  sooner  had  they  embarked  than  he  ran 
out  upon  the  bank  of  the  lagoon  waving  his  arms  vio- 
lently above  his  head. 

"  Don't  leave  me  here  !  in  God's  name,  don't  leave 
me  here!"  he  shrieked.  "  Don' t  you  know  that  they 
will  all  be  with  me?  I  shall  see  them  night  and  day. 
They  are  laughing  now  to  think  that  I  shall  be  here 
alone  in  their  power.  Don't  you  see  them  yonder?" 
and  the  wretch  pointed  frantically  in  the  direction  of 
the  ruin. 

"Poor  sin -laden  soul!  The  hand  of  the  Lord  is 
heavy  upon  him,"  said  the  pastor,  averting  his  eyes 
with  a  gesture  of  farewell. 

"Comeback,  come  back — kill  me — kill  me!  don't 
leave  me  here  alive  ! ' '  screamed  the  convict,  as  the  ship 
moved  further  and  further  from  the  shore. 

A  solemn  silence  prevailed  on  board  the  yacht,  a 
328 


THE  DEPARTURE 

feeling  that  they  were  executing  a  terrible  but  just  sen- 
tence upon  the  murderer  filled  the  hearts  of  all.  The 
vessel  presently  neared  the  point  of  land  which  defined 
the  entrance  of  the  stream  into  the  lagoon ;  the  convict 
had  traversed  the  intervening  space  with  great  leaps  and 
bounds,  and  stood  awaiting  them,  still  screaming  loudly 
to  be  taken  on  board.  As  the  yacht  slowly  rounded 
the  point,  only  a  few  feet  of  water  between  her  side 
and  the  shore,  Bovet,  who  had  ceased  his  shrieks  for  the 
moment,  made  a  wild  spring,  and  to  the  astonishment 
and  alarm  of  all  landed  squarely  on  the  deck.  Before 
he  had  time  to  recover  himself,  Winters  had  fallen  upon 
him  like  a  whirlwind,  and  hurled  him  violently  over  the 
side.  He  sank  instantly  and  was  seen  no  more  by  any 
of  them. 

Madeline  burst  into  tears.  "Why,  oh  why,"  she 
sobbed,  "must  such  dreadful  things  happen?  Surely 
we  must  be  made  of  stone  to  hear  such  cries,  and  yet 
suffer  the  petitioner  to  beg  for  our  mercy  in  vain.  In 
the  sight  of  God  our  own  hearts  may  seem  as  dark — nay 
indeed,  are  we  not  all  guilty  of  the  death  of  yonder  un- 
fortunate man  ?' ' 

"Peace,  maiden!"  said  Constantin  Dinant  sooth- 
ingly, laying  his  large  withered  hand  upon  her  bowed 
head.  "Thou  hast  no  cause  to  reproach  thyself; 
though  doubt  not,  that  thy  tears  of  pity  are  such  as 
angels  must  often  shed  when  looking  upon  this  fallen 
earth  of  ours.  Raise  thine  eyes,  daughter  !  and  take  a 
last  look  at  this  place  where  amid  such  signal  judgments 
upon  wickedness,  have  been  wrought  out  such  mercy 
and  blessing  for  us  all." 

Somewhat  comforted  by  the  words  of  the  good  man, 
Madeline  obediently  wiped  her  eyes  and  fixed  them 
329 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

upon  the  shores  past  which  they  were  gliding  slowly. 
The  sun  just  rising  shed  a  glory  of  dazzling  light 
upon  the  green  meadows  embowered  in  trees,  upon  the 
watery  path  of  the  stream  before  them,  and  shot  long 
rays  of  splendor  toward  the  distant  purple  of  the  sea 
beyond,  upon  whose  trackless  wastes,  with  neither  chart 
nor  compass  to  guide,  the  little  company  were  about  to 
entrust  themselves.  As  she  looked,  her  heart  grew 
light  in  her  bosom.  Somewhere  beyond  that  dim  blue 
verge  lay  life,  and  happiness,  and  safety. 


33° 


CHAPTER   XL 

WITHOUT    COMPASS 

"WE'LL  steer  nor'  by  nor' -west,  since  that  was  the 
direction  in  which  the  French  ship  started  off,  though, 
dash  my  buttons  !  I  hain't  an  idee  whether  that'll  take 
us  anywhar  in  particular, ' '  declared  Winters,  when  he 
had  succeeded  with  the  assistance  of  his  inexperienced 
crew,  in  hoisting  sail,  and  making  things  what  he  called 
•"snug  and  in  sea-goin'  shape  "  about  the  yacht. 

During  the  process,  which  was  accompanied  by  many 
blunders,  as  indeed  might  have  been  expected,  the  old 
sailor  more  than  once  lost  his  temper,  and  consequently 
indulged  in  much  profanity  of  a  strictly  nautical  kind. 
He  "  blarsted  his  buttons, "  and  "  shivered  his  timbers, " 
called  the  crew  ' '  consarned  fat -headed  land -lubbers, ' '  and 
' '  blowed  old  swabs, ' '  till  at  length  the  good  pastor  felt 
called  upon  to  remonstrate  mildly. 

"Don't  forget,  friend  Winters,"  he  said  with  impres- 
sive solemnity,  "  that  we  are  helpless  in  the  hands  of  the 
Almighty,  without  chart  or  compass,  and  in  this  frail 
craft  about  to  tempt  the  perils  of  the  deep ;  such  a  dis- 
play of  temper  is  assuredly  most  unseemly. ' ' 

Winters  paused  a  moment  in  his  hasty  tramping  up 
and  down  the  deck — where  indeed  he  was  doing  the 
work  of  half  a  dozen  men — long  enough  to  deliver  him- 
self of  the  following  characteristic  remarks. 

"If  we  was  a  puttin'  out  to  sea  in  the  biggest  ship 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ever  built,  with  the  smartest  crew  'at  ever  signed  articles, 
I  reckon -we'd  be  just  as  much  in  the  hands  of  the 
A'mighty  as  we  be  now.  If  the  Lord  only  holds  his 
hand  stiddy  we're  agoin'  to  be  all  right.  As  fur  my 
temper,  do  you  'spose  for  a  minute  that  God  A'mighty 
'ull  lay  that  up  agin  the  hull  of  us?  He  aint  so  all- 
fired  small  an'  mean  as  that,  I'll  bet.  And  havin'  made 
the  sea  and  all  sea-goin'  critters,  he's  got  a  sight  more 
notion  than  you  have  of  the  aggravatin'ness  of  tryin'  to 
sail  a  tight  little  craft  like  this,  with  a  lot  o'  land-lub- 
bers." 

After  which  there  was  nothing  for  the  good  old  Hu- 
guenot— who  was  troubled  with  what  he  found  at  times 
to  be  a  most  inconvenient  sense  of  humor — save  to  turn 
away  to  hide  the  smile,  which  crept  over  the  would-be 
severity  of  his  countenance. 

The  Lord  did  "  hold  his  hand  stiddy,"  for  the  weather 
remained  fair,  with  a  constant  light  breeze  from  the 
south,  which  sent  the  little  vessel  speeding  over  the  water 
in  the  most  amazing  style.  The  impromptu  crew,  es- 
pecially Croissart  and  young  de  Langres,  soon  became 
fairly  apt  in  the  handling  of  the  sails,  and  received  many 
compliments  from  their  instructor. 

"  I  tell  ye,  my  boy,"  said  Winters  patronizingly  to  St. 
Andr6  with  a  resounding  slap  upon  his  shoulder,  "  you've 
got  a  sight  too  much  stuff  in  you  to  stay  land-lubber  fur 
the  rest  of  your  days.  A  few  more  cruises  'ud  make  a 
consarned  good  sailor  out  of  ye.  What  be  you  goin'  to 
do  with  yourself  anyhow  ?" 

"  My  fortunes  have  taken  such  surprising  turns  of 
late,"  replied  the  Huguenot  with  a  smile,  "  that  I  hard- 
ly know.  A  year  ago,  I  should  have  said  that  my  station 
in  life  demanded  of  me  only  a  just  administration  of  my 
332 


WITHOUT  COMPASS 

estates  in  Languedoc,  suitable  care  of  my  mother  and 
sister,  and  loyalty  to  the  king.  A  day  changed  all  that ; 
my  property  was  swept  away,  my  liberty  gone,  my  family 
lost  to  me,  and  I  a  nameless  convict,  with  no  better 
prospect  before  me  than  a  life  of  joyless  toil  with  a  shal- 
low grave  at  its  close.  Again  I  find  myself  free  and  re- 
united to  those  whom  I  love,  but  as  yet  I  have  had  little 
opportunity  to  plan  my  future.  Let  me  once  put  foot 
onto  dry  land  in  safety  and  I  shall  be  better  able  to 
answer  you." 

"  Ay  !  spoken  like  a  land -lubber.  Why  do  you  talk 
so  much  about  dry  land,  man?  It's  too  blamed  dry  to 
suit  me.  Now  if  we  strike  the  Azores  all  right — as  we 
likely  shall  by  to-morrow  morning,  for  I've  seen  land- 
birds  in  the  rigging  this  very  day — we  could  do  an 
amazin'  good  trade  fetchin'  and  carryin'  atween  the 
islands  with  this  little  craft ;  an'  mebbe  later  we  could 
sell,  an'  git  hold  of  suthin'  bigger.  What  would  you 
say  to  that  ?' ' 

"  My  mother  has  in  her  possession  title-deeds  to  lands 
in  America,"  said  St.  Andre  thoughtfully,  "  and  both 
she  and  my  sister  are  most  anxious  to  get  there  as  soon 
as  possible." 

"  Whar  might  your  lands  be/ if  I  may  make  so  bold 
as  to  ask  ?' '  said  Winters. 

"  In  the  neighborhood  of  Boston,  I  believe,"  replied 
St.  Andre.  "  I  never  gave  the  matter  much  considera- 
tion, since  our  ever  seeing  the  place  seemed  at  one  time 
so  unlikely.  Are  there  many  savages  thereabouts  ?' ' 

"Wall,  not  now,  that  is  to  say,  the  varmints  don't 
dare  interfere  much  with  the  towns.  Course  you  see 
plenty  of  'em  ;  and  further  in,  they're  thicker' n  rattle- 
snakes. Your  land  might  be  wuth  a  consid'able  if  it's 
333 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

in  the  right  place,  an'  agin  it  might  not  be  wuth  the 
paper  it's  writ  down  on." 

The  next  morning  they  sighted  land.  As  may  be 
imagined  this  was  an  occasion  for  the  liveliest  rejoicings. 
Even  the  pale  face  of  Madame  de  Langres  wore  a 
smile ;  as  for  Madeline,  her  joy  knew  no  bounds,  she 
even  sang  a  gay  little  French  ballad,  as  she  stood  by 
the  rail  looking  at  the  long  low  cloud  in  the  dis- 
tance which  Winters  assured  her  was  the  wished-for 
haven. 

"Is  it  not  wonderful,"  she  asked  with  sparkling 
eyes  of  the  pastor  who  stood  by  her  side,  "that  we 
should  have  come  straight  to  the  land  over  these  track- 
less waters  with  nothing  to  guide  us  ?' ' 

"Not  more  wonderful,  my  child,"  he  replied  earn- 
estly, "than  that  yonder  bird  should  wing  its  unerring 
way  through  the  boundless  heavens.  We  are  too  prone 
to  pray,  scarce  believing  that  we  shall  receive.  So 
faithless  indeed  are  we,  that  we  receive  with  surprise 
and  almost  incredulity  the  answers  we  seek. ' ' 

Making  in  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  the  islands 
of  St.  Mary  and  St.  Michael,  where  they  obtained 
fresh  water,  they  passed  on  the  next  day  to  the  central 
group  of  the  Azores,  where  they  hoped  to  find  a  ship 
bound  to  some  friendly  port.  In  this  hope  they  were 
not  disappointed,  for  sailing  to  the  leeward  of  the  island 
of  Terciora,  the  sharp  eyes  of  Winters  quickly  perceived 
a  large  vessel  flying  the  English  colors. 

"  Here  we  be,  miss  !"  he  exclaimed,  "and  yonder" s 
the  good  flag  of  England.  The  worst  that'll  happen 
'ull  be  that  you'll  have  an  extra  v'yage." 

"Oh,  I  hope  we  shall  not  have  to  go  back  to  Eng- 
land ! ' '    said   the   young   girl,  clasping   her   hands  in 
334 


WITHOUT  COMPASS 

her  earnestness.  "I  am  so  tired  of  ships  and  of  the 
ocean." 

"  I  ain't  a  goin'  to  say  one  word  agin  that  sentiment 
from  a  tender  little  thing  like  you,  miss,"  said  the  old 
man  with  an  indulgent  smile.  "A  nice  snug  little 
cottage  is  the  place  for  women-folks;  an'  a  good 
stout  man  to  go  out  in  the  world  an'  do  the  wrastlin', 
whilst  you  keep  the  hearth  bright  and  cheery  fur  him — 
hey?" 

As  soon  as  L? Esperance  was  snugly  anchored,  a  dep- 
utation consisting  of  Winters,  Constantin  Dinant  and 
St.  Andr6  de  Langres  visited  the  English  ship ;  they 
soon  returned  with  the  cheering  intelligence  that  the 
good  ship,  Royal  Mary,  was  bound  to  the  English  Col- 
onies in  America,  and  that  their  whole  company  could 
be  accommodated  on  board.  Indeed  an  officer  of  her 
crew  accompanied  them  on  their  return  to  the  yacht, 
bearing  a  hearty  invitation  from  the  captain  of  the 
Royal  Mary  to  the  ladies  to  come  at  once  on  board. 

Winters,  who  had  unexpectedly  found  the  berth  of 
second  mate  at  his  disposal,  was  especially  jubilant.  He 
had  at  once  abandoned  his  notion  of  continuing  to  sail 
the  yacht,  and  proposed  to  sell  her  and  divide  the  pro- 
ceeds equally  amongst  the  party. 

' '  The  money  ought  all  to  belong  to  you, ' '  declared 
Madeline,  "  for  you  certainly  saved  the  vessel  when  you 
concealed  it  so  cleverly. ' ' 

"That  may  be,  miss,"  replied  the  old  man.  "But 
Jack  Winters  ain't  a  forgittin'  who's  prayed  him  out 
o'  perdition,  an'  like  as  not  saved  his  life  by  a  hitchin' 
it  onto  a  gospel  craft  what  was  bound  to  git  to  port, 
when  this  blamed  old  derelict  would  ha'  gone  to  the 
bottom  along  of  its  own  sins."  By  which  he  merely 
335 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

intended  to  intimate  that  the  Huguenots  should  share 
in  the  proceeds  of  the  sale.  His  generosity,  however, 
was  premature,  as  we  shall  see. 

The  following  day  as  Madeline  sat  upon  the  deck 
of  the  Royal  Mary,  with  her  mother  and  several 
English  ladies,  also  passengers,  she  perceived  that 
another  vessel  had  approached  and  was  about  to  cast 
anchor. 

"  Look,"  she  cried,  "  there  is  another  ship  !" 

"A  pretty  boat,  I'm  sure!"  exclaimed  one  of  the 
English  women,  a  plump,  rosy,  smiling  dame,  known 
as  Mrs.  Buxton.  ' '  I  think  sailors  are  monstrous  inter- 
esting. What  do  you  say,  my  dear  ?' '  addressing  Mad- 
eline. Then  without  waiting  for  an  answer  she  rattled 
on.  "I  told  my  husband  before  we  started  that  I  was 
sure  the  voyage  would  be  the  death  of  us  all,  but  it 
hasn't.  Now  that  old  sailor  who  came  aboard  with 
you,  what  a  queer-looking  old  guy  he  is  to  be  sure,  but 
that  kind  and  good,  your  mother  was  saying.  But 
look,  some  of  the  sailors  from  the  ship  yonder  are 
going  ashore  !  I  wish  they  had  stopped  nearer  so  we 
could  see  them ;  if  I  had  the  captain's  glass  now — I 
wonder  if  he  wouldn't  loan  it  for  a  minute."  And  the 
excellent  woman  bustled  away. 

Madeline  had  remained  quietly  in  her  place,  watching 
without  very  much  interest  the  distant  ship.  Her  can- 
vas had  been  neatly  clewed  down  by  this  time,  the 
sailors  looking  not  much  larger  than  mice,  as  they 
clambered  briskly  down  her  shrouds.  Now  a  long  boat 
laden  with  men  shot  away  from  her  dark  sides,  and  after 
an  interval  of  several  minutes,  a  skiff  containing  two 
figures  crept  out  a  little  way  from  the  ship,  then  paused 
for  an  instant,  while  the  man  in  the  stern  arose  in  his 
336 


WITHOUT  COMPASS 

place,  evidently  to  shout  out  some  order  to  those  on  the 
deck  of  the  vessel.  The  sound  of  his  voice  crept  across 
the  water  and  echoed  faintly  from  the  lofty  sides  of  the 
Royal  Mary.  The  young  girl  started  to  her  feet  with  a 
low  cry,  while  the  color  sank  away  from  her  cheeks, 
leaving  her  deathly  pale. 

"What  is  it,  my  child?"  asked  her  mother  in  alarm. 

"I  thought — I  fancied — -did  you  not  hear,  mother? 
And  oh,  where  is  Mrs.  Buxton — the  glass — the  captain's 
glass."  And  she  broke  through  the  little  group  which 
surrounded  her  with  a  haste  quite  unlike  her  usual  gentle 
movements. 

Madame  de  Langres  looked  after  her  in  astonish- 
ment, then  she  too  turned  her  eyes  upon  the  skiff, 
which  was  rapidly  skimming  over  the  water  shoreward. 

"What  has  agitated  your  daughter,  madame?"  in- 
quired an  elderly  woman  who  so  prided  herself  upon 
the  elegance  with  which  she  spoke  the  French  language 
that  she  never  failed  of  an  opportunity  to  display  her 
knowledge  of  it,  the  shrinking  horror  with  which  her 
murderous  onslaughts  upon  the  language  were  received 
having  no  effect  whatever  upon  her. 

"I  hardly  know,"  replied  Madame  de  Langres 
civilly.  Then  she  arose  from  her  seat,  with  the  mani- 
fest intention  of  finding  out. 

"Shall  I  not  accompany  you,  cher  Madame  ?"  said 
the  lady,  rising  with  alacrity.  "  I  have  some  tres  ex- 
cellent salts  should  the  young  lady  feel  ill. ' ' 

"  Thank  you,  I  do  not  think  she  is  ill,"  said  Madame 
de  Langres  rather  coldly,  as  she  walked  away.  She  en- 
countered Madeline  herself  about  half-way  across  the 
deck,  and  drew  her  into  the  shadow  of  a  drooping  sail. 
"What  ails  you,  my  child?"  she  inquired  anxiously. 
22  337 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"You  must  not  forget — "  with  a  glance  towards  the 
group  which  she  had  just  quitted,  ' '  that  you  are  once 
more  in  the  world,  and  that  curious  eyes  and  ears  are  at 
hand." 

' '  I  know  whom  you  mean,  mother, ' '  replied  Made- 
line petulantly,  "that  odious  woman  who  insists  upon 
speaking  to  us  in  French — it  makes  me  shudder  to  see 
her  open  her  mouth.  But  I  cannot  find  Mrs.  Buxton  or 
the  captain  anywhere,  and  I  do  so  want  the  glass  for 
just  an  instant !" 

"What  an  extraordinary  idea;  you  surely  do  not 
mean  that  you  think — " 

"I  mean  that  I  believe  the  man  in  yonder  skiff  to 
be — ah ;  there  is  Mrs.  Buxton  ! — Dear  Mrs.  Buxton  did 
you  find  the  captain  ?  Have  you  the  glass  ?' ' 

"My  dear  young  lady,"  replied  the  English  woman 
smilingly,  "  I  have  found  that  the  captain  has  been  on 
shore  for  the  last  two  hours.  Everybody  is  on  shore 
who  owns  a  glass,  it  appears,  so  we  shall  have  to  con- 
tent ourselves  with  our  eyes.  The  bosun  just  told  me 
that  he  believes  yonder  stranger  to  be  a  pirate.  Is  not 
that  romantic?  '  She's  got  a  mighty  suspicious  look  to 
her,  ma'am,'  he  said,  with  such  a  picturesque  hitch  to 
his  trouser  band.  Why  do  sailors  always  hitch  up  their 
trousers  do  you  suppose  ?  But  perhaps  they  have  no 
suspenders — though  why  they  shouldn't  I  can't  think. 
I  mean  to  ask  my  husband  to  find  out."  With  all  of 
which  the  good  woman  herself  was  so  taken  up,  that 
she  quite  failed  to  notice  the  disappointed  look  that 
crept  over  the  ingenuous  face  of  the  young  girl. 

Madeline  did  not  see  the  skiff  return  to  the  distant 
brigantine,  though  she  watched  anxiously  through  the 
glass  which  St.  Andre  procured  for  her.  What  she  did 
338 


WITHOUT  COMPASS 

see  was  half  a  dozen  or  so  of  swarthy,  rascally-looking 
fellows  attired  in  red  jackets  and  caps  disporting  them- 
selves about  her  decks,  which  certainly  went  a  long  way 
toward  confirming  the  bosun's  opinion  as  reported  by 
Mrs.  Buxton. 

Two  days  later  just  before  the  Royal  Mary  sailed,  the 
little  company  once  more  assembled  on  her  deck. 

"  Don't  feel  too  badly  about  that  matter  of  the 
yacht,"  St.  Andre  was  saying  to  Winters,  who  was  evi- 
dently much  disgruntled  about  something.  "  In  a  way 
the  fellow  was  right. ' ' 

"Right?  the  black  -faced  greasy  scoundrel !  I  wish 
I  could  have  spoken  his  gibberish,  that's  all.  If  you 
can't  make  a  man  understand  ye  when  yer  mad,  it  beats 
anything  I  know  of  for  aggravatin'ness. " 

"  What  was  it?"  asked  Madeline,  smiling  in  the  old 
man's  wrathful  face. 

"Why  we  found  somebody  as  wanted  the  yacht, 
wanted  it  bad  too.  A  Portuguese  fellow  de — what  ?' ' 

"  De  Miguel,"  said  St.  Andr6. 

"Yes,  de  Miguel — Wall,  the  fellow,  jes'  as  we  was 
about  to  close  the  bargain,  said  as  how  he  had  found 
out  where  we  got  the  craft,  and  that  if  we  didn't  leave  it 
with  him,  he'd  have  us  clapped  into  irons.  We  inquired 
around,  an'  found  that  he  could  ha'  done  it  too ;  it 
seems  't  he's  the  biggest  frog  in  the  puddle  in  these  'ere 
parts.  So  there  was  nothin'  left  for  us  to  do,  but  jes'  to 
give  in,  for  considerin'  all  the  circumstances  it  wouldn't 
do  for  us  to  git  into  irons  jes'  now." 

"  I  should  think  so  !"  ejaculated  Madeline,  who  had 
grown  pale  at  the  thought.  "  I  am  sure  he  is  welcome 
to  the  yacht  if  he  only  leaves  us  in  peace." 

"  St.  Andre  and  I  saw  rather  an  interesting  person  to- 
339 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

day,"  remarked  Constantin  Dinant,  by  way  of  diversion. 
"  It  seems  that  Smith,  our  ship's  doctor,  has  been  at- 
tending a  patient  on  shore  for  the  past  few  days ;  he 
asked  us  to  step  in  and  see  him  this  morning.  He  was  a 
singularly  handsome,  refined-looking,  young  man,  with 
a  face  something  after  the  style  of  the  portraits  we  see 
of  Julius  Csesar,  only  infinitely  more  noble  in  type. ' ' 

"Did  you  speak  with  him?"  asked  Madeline  in  a 
rather  unnatural  voice,  fixing  her  large  eyes  anxiously 
upon  the  speaker. 

"  Oh  no,  my  child,  he  was  unconscious — had  been  so 
for  some  days,  I  believe ;  but  we  asked  his  name. ' ' 

"And  it  was — " 

"Georges  Mendon,  a  Parisian  agent  for  rum  in  the 
islands,"  replied  the  old  man  quietly.  "  But  see  !  they 
are  hoisting  anchor.  Now,  all  hail  for  America,  the 
glorious  land  where  we  may  worship  our  God  in  free- 
dom and  peace ! ' ' 

And  so,  embarked  upon  summer  seas,  their  troubles 
over  for  at  least  some  brief  space,  we  may  leave  our 
friends  while  we  follow  the  fortunes  of  Henri  Baillot, 
Comte  de  Lantenac. 


340 


CHAPTER  XLI 

FINANCIAL   TRANSACTIONS 

"  You  are  exorbitant  in  your  charges  for  the  use  of 
the  vessel,  friend.  I  have  already  paid  you  five  hundred 
pistoles  for  this  scrap  of  paper,  which  you  dignify  by 
the  name  of  chart,  and — ' ' 

''You  shall  give  it  back  to  me  if  you  like  not  my 
price,"  said  de  Miguel,  doggedly.  "  I  will  take  it  now, 
and  as  for  using  my  ship  !"  He  snapped  his  fingers  de- 
risively and  shrugged  his  pudgy  shoulders  in  a  way  which 
signified  that  he  was  very  well  aware  that  he — Jose  de 
Miguel — was  complete  master  of  the  situation.  Then 
apparently  bethinking  himself  that  there  might  yet  be 
more  pistoles  to  be  obtained  from  this  free-handed 
stranger,  he  resumed  the  soft  whining  tone  which  he 
habitually  made  use  of. 

"  Besides,  gracious  seignior,  you  have  not  yet  beheld 
this  little  ship.  I  have  this  very  day  paid  for  her  in 
gold  " — with  a  melancholy  shake  of  the  head — "more 
than  three  thousand  pistoles  !  Is  not  that  a  great  price 
for  a  poor  man  like  Jose  de  Miguel  ?  It  would  have  been 
impossible  for  me  had  I  not  received  the  five  hundred 
pistoles  for  my  chart,  which — may  the  Holy  Virgin  for- 
give me  !  for  to  do  it  I  had  no  right  in  the  world.  Jos6 
de  Miguel's  heart  is  too  soft,  ah,  seignior,  that  is  where 
the  trouble  lies.  When  I  see  a  fine  noble  gentleman 
like  you,  seignior,  anxious  to  rescue  shipwrecked  folk — 
who  are  doubtless  awaiting  succor  with  sufferings  which 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

one  can  hardly  imagine — delicate  women  too  ! — ah,  my 
heart  bleeds  for  them  !  There  is  nothing  Jose  will  not 
do  for  a  lovely  woman,  everybody  about  the  island 
knows  that. ' '  The  speaker  paused  for  a  moment  to  take 
breath. 

Baillot  smiled  slightly  as  he  listened  to  the  worthy 
man's  eulogy  on  the  fair  sex,  and  at  the  same  time  re- 
called the  expression  on  his  little  hostess's  face  when 
she  had  spoken  of  him.  "You  paid,  you  say,  three 
thousand  pistoles  for  the  vessel,"  he  said,  "and  charge 
me  three  hundred  for  ten  days ;  at  that  rate  you  will 
soon  recover  your  money. ' ' 

"Ah,  but  gracious  seignior,  you  are  forgetting  that  I 
bought  the  vessel  solely  on  your  account ;  what  does 
Jos£  de  Miguel  want  with  a  ship  ?  I  am  content  to 
stay  at  home  with  my  family,  as  you  found  me.  Then 
too,  the  risk,  seignior.  Suppose  you  lose  the  vessel, 
where  then  should  I  find  myself?  Only  three  hundred 
pistoles,  it  is  nothing  at  all  I  assure  you. ' ' 

"You  would  not  care  for  that,"  quoth  Goujet,  who 
was  following  close  at  their  heels,  and  on  whom  not  a 
word  of  the  conversation  had  been  lost,  "  for  you  would 
be  either  drowned  or  shipwrecked,  and  in  either  case 
pistoles  would  not  interest  you. ' ' 

"Surely  you  will  not  hold  me  to  that?  I  told  you 
that  I  would  go,  it  is  true,  but  of  what  use  would  you 
find  an  old  man  like  me  ?  I  cannot  sail  the  vessel,  and 
I  hate  the  sea,"  the  last  words  were  addressed  in  a  con- 
fidential tone  to  Baillot,  but  Goujet  was  not  to  be  ig- 
nored. 

"Hate  the  sea,  do  you?"  he  remarked  in  a  con- 
temptuous tone,  as  he  quickened  his  steps  till  he  was 
abreast  of  the  other  two.  "Well.  I  should  suppose  so 


FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

by  the  cut  of  your  jib,  but  that  can't  be  helped,  sir, 
you're  going  along,  and  don't  you  think  otherwise  for 
a  minute." 

De  Miguel  scowled  blackly,  but  he  said  nothing  in 
reply.  The  three  men  had  by  this  time  reached  the 
shore  where  they  presently  embarked  in  a  skiff. 

' '  The  vessel  is  yonder, ' '  said  the  Portuguese  sulkily. 

"  Of  whom  did  you  purchase  it  ?"  asked  Baillot,  with 
a  start  of  surprise. 

De  Miguel  had  been  expecting  this  question,  and  he 
replied  at  once  with  that  glib  mixture  of  truth  and  false- 
hood of  which  he  was  consummate  master. 

"  Of  whom  did  I  purchase  her,  noble  seignior?  Of 
two  French  gentlemen,  whose  names  I  did  not  ask. 
Truly  it  mattered  not  to  me  what  they  were  called. ' ' 

They  had  now  approached  quite  near  to  the  vessel  in 
question.  There  was  no  mistaking  that  slender,  low- 
lying  hull,  those  tapering  masts.  Even  before  he  had 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the  gilded  letters  that  ran  about  her 
bow,  Baillot  was  certain  that  it  was  no  other  than 
L1  Esperance,  which  lay  gently  rising  and  falling  on  the 
glassy  green  swells. 

"Two  French  gentlemen,"  repeated  de  Miguel 
loudly.  He  had  been  studying  the  face  of  the  man  be- 
fore him,  and  had  made  a  shrewd  guess  at  the  thoughts 
which  were  thronging  his  brain.  "They  have  been 
trading  back  and  forth  between  the  islands  for  a  year  or 
more — so  they  told  me.  And  indeed  I  have  seen  the 
vessel  before  she  became  my  property.  A  tight  little 
craft,  and  of  unusual  build  for  these  parts.  I  have 
wondered  where  she  was  built  and  how  she  became  the 
property  of  the  men  who  sailed  her.  But — "  and  the 
*  speaker  shrugged  his  shoulders,  "it  was  not  my  busi- 

343 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ness  to  know.  For  my  part  I  do  not  ask  many  ques- 
tions ;  it  does  not  profit,  for  why  ?  A  man  may  lie  with 
his  tongue.  Far  better  is  it  to  watch  and  consider  and 
see  for  one's  self.  For  myself  I  speak  only  the  truth  ; 
I  am  sincere  ;  I  am  open.  All  the  world  knows  my 
heart. ' '  And  the  speaker  smote  upon  his  breast  and 
smiled,  a  fat,  oily  smile  which  somehow  was  not  pleas- 
ant to  look  upon. 

"He  is  telling  the  truth  for  once,  master,"  whis- 
pered Goujet,  "for  I  saw  the  men,  and  heard  them 
speak,  they  also  came  to  see  you  while  you  lay  ill  in  the 
hut." 

They  had  now  boarded  the  yacht ;  Baillot  looked 
eagerly  about  for  some  token  which  might  tell  of  its  late 
occupants.  He  presently  saw,  however,  that  the  vessel 
had  been  completely  stripped  of  all  its  former  luxurious 
fittings.  Its  cabins  had  the  appearance  of  an  ordinary 
coasting  schooner  of  the  better  class ;  the  bunks  were 
furnished  with  bedding  not  too  scrupulously  clean,  and 
the  galley  with  common  coarse  crockery  and  pewter 
vessels,  which  had  evidently  seen  long  and  hard  usage. 
In  short,  there  was  nothing  about  the  craft  to  indicate 
that  de  Miguel  had  not  told  the  exact  truth  in  regard 
to  her.  Baillot  turned  away  with  an  impatient  sigh. 

"  The  seignior  is  not  pleased  ?' '  cried  de  Miguel,  who 
had  been  inwardly  congratulating  himself  on  the  shrewd- 
ness which  he  had  displayed  in  the  refitting  of  the  ves- 
sel, an  operation  which  had  cost  him  a  long  and  hard 
night's  labor.  "And  why?  Is  it  not  a  beautiful  ves- 
sel, and  well  furnished,  and  swift  ? — the  seignior  cannot 
conceive  of  anything  more  swift !  I  have  also  caused 
most  excellent  supplies  to  be  placed  on  board.  And  I 
have  bespoken  a  crew  of  sailors,  brave  and  expert." 
344 


FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

"  I  will  look  to  the  crew,  my  man,"  remarked  Gou- 
jet,  who  had  been  examining  the  little  vessel  with  the 
eye  of  a  connoisseur.  "We  shall  not  require  more 
than  two  hands  besides  ourselves.  You,  Monsieur  de 
Miguel,  shall  be  our  passenger.  As  to  the  ship,  mas- 
ter," continued  Goujet,  "one  could  hardly  find  any- 
thing better  than  this  little  craft  for  our  purpose.  The 
Rouge  et  Noir  was  a  vessel  that  could  show  a  clean  pair 
of  heels  to  almost  anything  afloat,  but,  morbleu !  I 
believe  this  craft  could  beat  her.  Why  not  get  off  with 
the  next  tide  ?  A  day  at  sea  will  do  more  for  you  than 
all  the  doctor's  stuff  that  ever  was  brewed." 

' '  Yes,  by  all  means  ! ' '  said  Baillot,  bringing  himself 
back  with  some  difficulty  to  the  matter  in  hand.  "  Let 
us  get  off  with  all  the  speed  we  may.  As  for  taking 
this  man  along,  I — ' ' 

"You — insist,  certainly,"  interrupted  Goujet  with  a 
warning  look.  "  Quite  right  too  ;  a  little  cruise,  Mon- 
sieur de  Miguel,  will  not  only  serve  to  whet  your  appe- 
tite for  the  delights  of  your  own  roof  and  the  endear- 
ments of  your  family  circle,  but  it  will  also,  if  I 
mistake  not,  materially  benefit  your  liver,  in  perhaps 
relieving  you  of  an  excess  of  bile.  Ah,  you  compre- 
hend !"  as  de  Miguel  groaned  dismally.  "A  little 
mal  de  mer  is  most  excellent  for  a  person  of  your  habit, 
most  excellent,  I  assure  you." 

"  The  devil  take  you,  sir  !"  quoth  de  Miguel,  goaded 
into  frankness  for  once. 

"Quite  right,"  said  Goujet  approvingly.  "I  have 
every  reason  to  suppose  that  your  kind  wish  will  be  re- 
alized at  some  future  time.  In  the  meantime  if  we  do 
not  fall  into  the  hands  of  pirates  by  the  way,  we  shall 
have  a  most  enjoyable  voyage  together. ' ' 
345 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

At  the  mention  of  pirates,  de  Miguel  rolled  up  his 
eyes  with  a  faint  ejaculation,  expressive  of  the  deepest 
alarm. 

"A  not  unlikely  happening,  eh,  my  lord?"  con- 
tinued Goujet  remorselessly,  yet  with  a  touch  of  real 
anxiety  in  his  tones,  which  did  not  escape  the  attention 
of  Baillot. 

"  It  will  not  be  amiss  to  go  suitably  armed,"  he  said, 
looking  thoughtfully  out  to  sea,  where  several  sails  were 
visible. 

"I  am  so  ill,  noble  seignior,  when  on  the  sea," 
whined  de  Miguel,  ' '  that  I  should  be  of  no  use  to  you — 
no  use  whatever ;  why  not  take  some  one  younger,  my 
son  Juan,  for  example ;  I  should  have  no  objection  to 
permitting  it.  He  could  fight  pirates  now ;  he  is  young 
and  active,  and — ' ' 

"You  must  go,"  interrupted  Goujet  loudly  and  de- 
cidedly, ' '  to  look  after  this  valuable  bit  of  property,  if 
for  nothing  more.  How  do  you  know  we're  not 
pirates?"  he  added  wickedly.  "  Do  I  not  look  like 
one?" 

"You  do — you  do  !"  cried  de  Miguel,  starting  back. 
"I  will  not  go  with  you.  I  will  not  let  my  vessel  to 
such  as  you.  I  swear  I  will  not !  Let  me  go  !" 

"  Hold  !"  said  Baillot  sternly.  "You  are  not  deal- 
ing with  that  man, ' '  and  he  darted  an  angry  look  at 
Goujet,  "but  with  me.  I  am  a  man  of  honor  and  so, 
I  believe,  is  Goujet,  though  it  pleases  him  to  make  very 
sorry  jests.  You  shall  accompany  us,  since  it  was  in  the 
bond ;  and  here  is  the  sum  specified,  three  hundred  pis- 
toles. We  get  off  at  once,  at  once  you  understand. ' ' 

Somewhat  mollified  by  the  sight  and  feel  of  the  gold 
pieces,  which  he  fingered  lovingly,  as  he  stowed  them 

346 


FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

carefully  away  in  his  capacious  wallet,  de  Miguel  bowed 
cringingly.  "  The  sum  specified  for  the  letting  of  the 
vessel  for  the  space  of  ten  days  or  less,"  he  murmured 
softly,  ' '  and  I  thank  the  seignior  for  the  same.  The 
provisions" — here  the  speaker  paused  to  cough  dis- 
creetly— ' '  will  of  course  be  paid  for  later ;  likewise  the 
hire  of  the  seamen — a  mere  trifle  of  course,  hardly 
worth  mentioning. ' ' 

As  Baillot  attempted  no  remonstrance,  and  Goujet 
remained  sulkily  silent,  de  Miguel  gathered  courage  and 
continued  in  a  somewhat  louder  tone,  "One  hundred 
pistoles — perhaps,  for  the  victualling  of  the  vessel ;  a 
mere  bagatelle,  is  it  not  ? — Ah  !  such  luxuries,  seignior, 
as  I  have  provided ;  I  know  the  taste  of  such  gentle- 
men as  you.  Fifty  more — probably,  for  the  hire  of 
the  seamen  ?  Not  much,  you  say  ?' '  Baillot  had  not 
spoken.  "You  are  right;  I  shall  get  no  gain  out  of 
this  thing,  it  is  true.  I  am  too  generous,  always  too 
generous — prodigal  even.  That  is  why  I  am  a  poor 
man.  At  my  age,  seignior,  it  is  not  pleasant  to  feel  the 
hot  breath  of  the  wolf  at  one's  door.  And  the  little 
ones  too,  ah  me !  ten  of  them,  and  more  coming, 
always  more  coming.  I — ' ' 

"A  pest  on  your  brainless  chatter,  man  !"  interrupted 
Baillot  with  a  frown,  "  I  will  hear  no  more.  I  will  pay 
you  the  balance  when  we  return  to  this  place,  only  on 
condition  that  you  hold  your  insufferable  tongue. ' ' 

"But,  master!"  protested  Goujet  in  an  energetic 
whisper,  "  a  hundred  pistoles  for  the  victualling  !  Con- 
sider, I  beg  of  you  ;  for  fifteen  I  could — ' ' 

' '  Nay  !  I  care  not,  it  would  take  time,  and  that  is 
more  precious  to  me  now  than  I  can  tell  you.  Engage 
two  or  more  of  the  fellows  who  are  waiting  in  the  boat 
347 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

there,  then  go  ashore  and  fetch  a  supply  of  arms.  Here 
is  my  purse.  Do  the  best  you  can,  for  you  see  the  sup- 
ply is  running  low." 

" Morbleu !  I  should  think  so,"  muttered  Goujet, 
as  he  swung  himself  over  the  side  of  the  vessel,  "  and 
if  that  old  fox  gets  his  clutches  onto  another  pistole,  I 
hope  I  may  be  boiled  in  oil  for  at  least  a  hundred 
years  !" 

The  remaining  preparations  were  quickly  made,  and 
with  wind  and  tide  both  in  her  favor,  L1  Espe ranee  be- 
gan her  swift  flight  back  to  the  island,  from  which  she 
had  just  come.  Goujet,  quite  in  his  element,  was  soon 
cracking  alarming  jokes  with  the  two  Portuguese  seamen, 
pausing  now  and  again  to  bestow  a  sly  thrust  upon  de 
Miguel,  who  was  coiled  up  into  a  wretched  heap  in  the 
stern. 

"  You  look  pale  about  the  gills,  my  friend,"  he  re- 
marked, planting  himself  directly  in  front  of  the  un- 
happy man.  "  Not  exactly  pale,  either,"  he  continued, 
putting  his  head  on  one  side  and  assuming  an  air  of  mock 
sympathy,  * '  but  a  sort  of  a  pasty,  waxy,  yellow  ;  the 
sort  of  complexion  pirates  can  give  a  man  when  they  get 
to  touching  him  up  with  their  cosmetics  a  bit.  How 
about  those  pistoles,  got  them  safe  ?' ' 

The  wretched  man  clutched  convulsively  at  his  pockets 
and  groaned  aloud. 

"  What!"  cried  Goujet,  apparently  much  surprised, 
"you  don't  mean  to  say  that  you've  brought  them 
along?  But  why?  You'll  not  need  money  on  this 
cruise  ;  money  won't  prevent  your  liver  from  turning  over 
three  times  ;  or  your  stomach  from  dancing  to  the  tune 
the  ocean  sets  for  it.  And  when  you  get  so  ill  that  you 
don't  care  what  becomes  of  you,  what  then  ?"  and  he 
343 


FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

bent  a  fearful  stare  on  that  portion  of  de  Miguel's  person 
where  was  bestowed  the  wallet  containing  the  pistoles. 

"  I  must  go  below,"  stammered  the  unfortunate  man, 
writhing  beneath  his  tormentor's  pitiless  gaze.  "  I  am 
too  ill  to  remain  here ;  I  shall  go  to  the  cabin  at  once," 
and  he  staggered  to  his  feet  with  as  much  dignity  as  he 
could  muster. 

"No  you  don't,  you  old  swine!"  growled  Goujet, 
stepping  in  front  of  him.  "  My  master  has  hired  this 
vessel  for  ten  days,  and  paid  you  three  hundred  pistoles 
for  it.  Not  a  drop,  not  a  sup,  do  you  get,  not  a  bunk 
to  lie  in,  without  paying  for  it.  And  provisions  come 
high  on  this  craft,  and  bunks  come  high  too  ;  no  one 
knows  that  better  than  you. ' ' 

De  Miguel's  jaw  dropped.  He  almost  forgot  to  be  sea- 
sick fora  moment.  "What — what  did  you  say?"  he 
stammered.  "  You — you  asked me  to  come  !  you — you 
insisted  that  I  should  come  !  I  didn't  want  to  come.  I 
won't  pay,  you  scoundrel."  And  he  dropped  back  and 
groaned  aloud. 

Goujet  grinned.  "You  needn't  pay  now,"  he  said 
soothingly.  "  I'm  not  so  hard  at  a  bargain  as  you.  One 
hundred  pistoles  for  your  passage,  say — a  mere  bagatelle, 
eh  ?  I  knew  you  would  say  so  !  and  for  your  meals 
while  on  board,  fifty  pistoles — not  much,  you  say  ?  but 
I  am  so  generous,  so  prodigal  !" 

' '  I — I — will  tell  the  good  seignior  how  you  maltreat 
me,  you  black  devil,  you!"  began  de  Miguel  vocifer- 
ously, then  as  the  vessel  gave  an  uneasy  lurch,  he 
clapped  his  hand  over  the  pit  of  his  stomach,  and  fairly 
blubbered.  "The  Holy  Virgin  and  all  the  saints  will 
punish  you  !"  he  howled  betwixt  his  sobs,  "and  I  hope 
you  may  burn  in  purgatory  a  million  years  !" 
349 


CHAPTER  XLII 

MORE   FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

"WELL,  master  !"  said  Goujet  in  high  good -humor. 
"  I've  come  up  with  that  old  rascal  at  last." 

"What  have  you  done  with  him?"  asked  Baillot 
sternly.  "Remember  that  you  are  aboard  no  pirate 
craft  now,  my  man. ' ' 

"Man  dieu  !  No,  I  shall  remember  that  fast  enough. 
I  have  only  helped  the  old  gentleman  into  his  bunk  to 
get  rid  of  his  mal  de  mer,"  chuckled  Goujet,  prudently 
resolving  not  to  acquaint  his  master  with  his  late  finan- 
cial transaction.  "But  voila,  this  little  ship  !  I  have 
never  seen  her  like  for  sailing.  Have  you  now,  mas- 
ter?" 

"I've  sailed  in  her  before,"  said  Baillot,  looking 
about  him  gloomily.  "This  is  the  very  vessel  that  we 
met  adrift  off  the  island. ' ' 

"But  how  came  she  into  the  possession  of  those 
men  ?' ' 

"  That  is  what  I  have  been  asking  myself.  If  you 
had  not  seen  them,  I  should  have  thought  the  Portu- 
guese lied  to  us,  and  that  Winters  had  successfully  car- 
ried out  his  plan  of  taking  the  party  off  the  island  by 
means  of  the  yacht.  Here  is  the  ship,  at  all  events,  but 
much  changed  since  I  saw  her  last." 

"  But  may  not  the  sailor — Winters  you  call  him — have 
carried  out  his  plan  and  afterward  sold  the  craft  to  the 
men  of  whom  de  Miguel  bought  her  ?' ' 
350 


MORE  FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

"The  rascal  said  they  had  owned  her  more  than  a 
year,  that  much  at  least  is  a  lie.  If  I  could  but  compel 
him  to  tell  the  truth  !" 

"  I  could  compel  him,"  said  Goujet,  an  ominous 
glitter  in  his  black  eyes.  "There  is  more  than  one 
way  to  get  at  the  truth,  master ;  the  sight  of  a  red-hot 
poker  now — ' ' 

' '  You  would  torture  him  ?     For  shame,  man  ! ' ' 

"  'Twould  be  but  a  taste  of  what  he  will  get  in  the 
hereafter,"  said  Goujet  apologetically,  "and  perhaps 
would  count  off  just  so  much  from  his  reckonings  in 
purgatory. ' ' 

"  His  punishment  is  none  of  our  concern,  friend. 
Doubt  not  that  God  will  deal  with  him  according  to  the 
measure  of  his  sins.  Let  us  beware  only  of  adding  to 
our  own." 

"Ay!  spoken  like  a  Huguenot,"  muttered  Goujet. 
"  But  he  shall  at  least  pay  roundly  for  his  ten  days  in 
our  good  company. ' ' 

Baillot  was  silent  for  a  time,  then  he  turned  suddenly. 
"What  think  you  of  yonder  sail,  man  ?" 

Goujet  looked  him  squarely  in  the  eyes.  "  You  have 
already  thought,  master,"  he  said,  "  for  myself  I  need 
only  to  look  once  to  see  that  yonder  vessel  is  the  Rouge 
et  Noirj  and  what  then,  if  L1  Esperance  can  sail  the 
faster?" 

"We  will  at  least  sell  our  lives  dearly,"  said  Baillot. 
"  I  am  going  below,"  he  added  shortly,  "  do  you  keep 
a  keen  lookout." 

"No  need  to  bid  me  do  that,  master,"  replied  the 
other,  looking  slightly  offended.  "  I  am  glad  you  are 
going  below.  You  need  rest ;  you  are  not  yet  perfectly 
recovered. ' ' 

35' 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

But  Baillot  was  not  going  below  to  rest.  He  was 
haunted  by  the  conviction  that  de  Miguel  had  lied  to 
him  ;  full  of  this  idea  he  began  a  thorough  search  in  the 
cabins  for  some  token  that  his  instinct  had  not  deceived 
him.  For  some  time  his  search  was  in  vain,  and  he 
was  about  to  give  it  up  with  an  impatient  sigh,  when  in 
a  dark  corner  of  the  inner  cabin  he  caught  a  glimpse  of 
something  that  glittered  dimly.  He  picked  it  up,  it 
was  a  jewelled  comb  of  quaint  design  which  had  be- 
longed to  Madeline  de  Langres.  He  had  no  doubt 
about  it ;  he  remembered  just  how  she  had  used  it  to 
fasten  the  abundant  braids  of  her  hair. 

After  a  moment's  hesitation  he  sought  out  de  Miguel. 

"  Ah,  seignior,"  exclaimed  that  worthy  pathetically, 
"you  take  compassion  on  my  sufferings.  You  have 
come  to  tell  me  that  it  is  not  true.  A  hundred  pistoles 
— holy  heavens  !  a  hundred  and  fifty  pistoles,  and  I  can 
eat  nothing  !" 

"I  don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about,"  said 
Baillot  coldly.  "  Hold  your  tongue,  if  you  can,  and 
listen.  I  just  now  found  this  ornament  in  the  corner 
of  my  cabin.  What  does  it  mean  ?' ' 

"What  does  it  mean,  seignior?  Blessed  Mary! 
How  should  I  know  ?  What  is  the  object — a  comb,  is 
it  not  so  ?' ' 

"But  suppose  that  I  know  to  whom  this  comb  be- 
longs ;  suppose  I  tell  you  that  it  belongs  to  the  lady 
whom  I  wish  to  rescue.  I  believe  that  you  have  lied  to 
me,  rascal ;  she  has  already  gone,  and  you  know  it ;  this 
ship  is  but  just  now  come  from  the  island,  and  you 
bought  it  from  Winters." 

De  Miguel  stared  at  the  angry  face  of  his  questioner 
in  silence  for  a  full  minute. 

352 


MORE  FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

"Speak,  scoundrel!"  thundered  Baillot,  "or  by 
heaven,  I  will  turn  you  over  to  Goujet  to  deal  with ;  he 
may  find  a  way  to  get  the  truth  out  of  you. ' ' 

"How  can  I  answer  you,  seignior,  when  I  am  so 
ill,"  whined  de  Miguel,  wincing  at  the  mention  of 
Goujet.  "You  have  no  heart,  or  you  would  not  speak 
in  that  harsh  tone  to  one  who  has  done  nothing  to  harm 
you.  As  for  calling  me  a  liar,  why — ' '  and  the  speaker 
assumed  a  ludicrously  threatening  air,  "  no  man  can  do 
that  safely.  Now  listen  to  me,  I  know  nothing  of  this 
trumpery  ornament.  The  worthy  white-haired  gentle- 
man might  have  had  his  daughter  or  his  mistress  aboard, 
or — ' '  as  Baillot  interrupted  him  with  an  impatient  ejac- 
ulation, "  it  may  have  dropped  from  the  hair  of  the  sig- 
norina  when  she  was  on  board  the  vessel  before." 

"Ah,  rascal!  You  have  betrayed  yourself.  You 
knew  then  that  this  vessel  belonged  to  the  island  !" 

"  I  never  said  that  I  did  not,  seignior.  I  know  far 
more  about  the  island  than  I  shall  tell  you, ' '  replied  de 
Miguel  calmly.  "It  is  as  I  have  said ;  I  bought  the 
vessel  from  the  two  French  gentlemen  ;  I  saw  no 
women;  I  know  nothing  more,"  and  the  speaker 
closed  his  eyes  resolutely,  as  if  he  had  said  his  say. 

Baillot  regarded  him  angrily  for  a  moment.  ' '  Very 
well,"  he  said  at  length.  "  You  may  be  sorry,  and  that 
right  soon,  that  you  have  not  told  me  the  truth.  I 
shall  go  to  the  island  now  at  any  hazard. ' '  And  thrust- 
ing the  ornament  into  his  pocket,  he  left  the  Portuguese 
to  his  meditations. 

That  these  meditations  were  of  a  most  unpleasant 

nature  would  have  been  evident  to  one  looking  on  ;  the 

unfortunate  man  groaned  and  twisted,  prayed  and  swore 

alternately.      "Holy  Virgin!"  he  whimpered,   "what 

23  353 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

did  he  mean  ?  Can  it  be  that  we  are  already  in  danger 
of  pirates  ?  Ah  !  it  is  so,  I  feel  it — I  know  it !  What 
then  shall  I  do  ?  They  will  steal  my  pistoles  !  and  that 
beast  would  deprive  me  of  a  hundred  and  fifty  more. 
Why  are  such  crimes  permitted  ?  Ah,  I  could  choke 
him,  I — I — could — But  no,  I  am  in  danger,  I  must  not 
permit  such  evil  thoughts.  May  all  the  saints  bear  me 
witness,  that  until  I  get  once  more  on  dry  land  the 
man  is  forgiven  as  I  hope  to  be  forgiven.  Yes,  it  is  so. 
But  suppose  I  should  tell  him  all.  We  might  then  go 
back.  But  he  would  force  me  to  give  up  the  pistoles, 
and  that  I  cannot  do. — Ah,  I  am  so  ill,  I  shall  not  live 
to  see  the  land,  I  know  I  shall  not.  Stay,  I  -will  tell 
him  !  I  care  not — for  the — pistoles.  Seignior  !  Good, 
merciful,  gracious,  noble  seignior  !  I  will — -No,  I  will 
not — I  cannot ! ' '  and  his  voice  died  away  into  a  low  in- 
articulate mumble. 

Meantime  Baillot  was  moodily  pacing  up  and  down 
the  deck,  pausing  now  and  again  to  take  a  look  through 
his  glass  at  the  distant  brigantine.  He  was  thinking 
over  what  de  Miguel  had  said.  Was  it  possible  that 
the  ornament  had  been  dropped  during  their  first 
voyage?  No,  he  was  sure  that  he  had  seen  it  after- 
ward— during  their  sojourn  in  the  chateau.  Granted, 
could  she  not  have  visited  the  yacht  subsequently  ? 
He  drew  the  little  ornament  from  his  pocket,  and  such 
a  picture  of  the  delicate,  bewitching  face  of  its  owner 
rose  before  his  mental  vision  that  he  involuntarily  smiled. 

' '  The  brigantine  keeps  about  the  same  distance  from 
us,"  said  the  voice  of  Goujet  suddenly. 

''The  brigantine?  ah — yes.     You  are  right." 

"Either  she  cannot  catch  us,  or  she  has  some  other 
scheme  OP  deck." 

354 


MORE  FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

"  It  may  be  that  she  sees  better  game,"  said  Baillot ; 
"she  may  take  us  for  a  fishing  craft." 

"  We  expected  to  find  treasure,  you  remember. 
She  may  leave  us  unmolested  till  we  make  ready  to 
leave  the  island,  and  then — voila  !  descend  on  us  like 
a  hawk  upon  its  quarry.  If  we  find  the  women,  that 
might  prove — " 

"  Enough  !"  cried  the  young  man  fiercely.  "  Before 
yonder  villains  shall  lay  hands  upon  the  women,  I  my- 
self will  kill  them  !" 

' '  And  you  would  do  wisely  and  well, ' '  commented 
Goujet  gravely.  "  But, ' '  he  added  briskly,  "a  thousand 
things  may  happen.  'Tis  always  what  one  does  not 
prefigure  to  one's  self  that  becomes  reality;  I  know 
that  well  enough.  And  'tis  rarely  the  worst  comes  to 
pass  without  a  slice  of  better  fortune  thrown  in  to  bal- 
ance it !" 

The  next  morning  after  a  night  of  steady  sailing  be- 
fore the  constant  wind,  the  brigantine  was  visible  upon 
their  weather  bow  in  very  much  the  same  position  as 
that  of  the  night  before,  except  that  she  was  several 
miles  nearer. 

"Morbleu!"  growled  Goujet,  staring  at  her  through 
the  glass,  ' '  she  has  crept  up  on  us  in  the  night.  All 
hands  !  Shake  out  every  stitch  of  our  topsails,  and  be 
lively  if  you  don't  want  to  swing  from  a  pirate's  yards 
before  sunset. ' ' 

A  fragment  of  this  speech  reached  the  ears  of  the 
wretched  de  Miguel,  who,  after  a  fearful  night,  had 
painfully  crawled  out  from  his  bunk,  and  now  lay 
prone  upon  the  deck,  his  head  pillowed  upon  a  rough 
jacket  which  one  of  the  sailors  had  placed  for  his  con- 
venience. 

355 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Pirates,  did  you  say,  good  seignior,"  he  whined 
abjectly,  raising  his  ghastly  countenance  from  its  rough 
pillow.  "Pirates?  But  where?" 

"Right  over  yonder,  my  invalid  friend,"  said  Gou- 
jet,  looking  down  at  the  figure  at  his  feet  with  a  curious 
mixture  of  contempt  and  pity  on  his  dark  face,  "with 
their  eyes  glued  to  this  pretty  little  craft  of  ours.  Ever 
met  any  pirates,  eh  ?"  as  de  Miguel  groaned  louder  than 
ever. 

"How  do  you  know  that  yonder  ship  is  a  pirate?" 
demanded  the  Portuguese  tremulously. 

"  How  do  I  know  it's  a  pirate?"  repeated  Goujet. 
"  How  do  I  know  that  it's  daylight,  that  the  wind  holds, 
that  you  are  an  accursed  scoundrel,  or  anything  else 
that's  perfectly  evident?  I'll  tell  you  how  I  know,  my 
friend,"  he  continued,  sinking  his  voice  ominously. 
"That  vessel  yonder,  with  her  black  hull,  her  raking 
masts  and  her  peculiar  rig — square  in  front,  do  you  see  ? 
And  her  mainmast  fore  and  aft  rigged — that  brigantine, 
I  say,  is  as  familiar  a  sight  to  me  as  a  cup  of  grog,  and 
why  ?  Because  I've  sailed  in  her  for  the  last  three  years, 
and  a  bloody  record  she  has.  Why  man,  they  make  no 
more  of  walking  a  prisoner  over  the  plank  than  of  eat- 
ing their  duff!" 

The  Portuguese  lifted  himself  on  one  elbow.  "  Then 
you  are  a  pirate  ?' '  he  said  eagerly. 

Goujet  scratched  his  head  reflectively.  "Well,  I 
hardly  know,"  he  remarked  doubtfully,  staring  curiously 
at  the  swarthy  face  before  him.  "Why  yes,  morblcu  / 
I  am  !  "  he  declared,  slapping  his  leg  violently  as  a  sud- 
den light  broke  in  upon  him.  "A  pirate  and  a  bloody 
one  you  may  believe  ;  I  don't  know  how  I've  kept  my 
hands  off  you  so  long. ' ' 

356 


MORE  FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS 

"Ah,  then  you  can  save  me  !  Dear,  good,  gracious 
pirate,  pity — pity  the  father  of  ten  helpless  babes,  and 
more  com — " 

"  Shut  up,  and  get  down  to  business;  if  I  speak  a 
good  word  for  you  to  yonder  messmates  of  mine  when 
they  nab  us,  how  much  is  it  worth  to  you  ?' ' 

"I  will  give  you  fifty  pistoles;  I  have  no  more,  I 
swear  it.  I — ' ' 

"  Hand  out  your  wallet ;  I'll  count  the  contents  for 
you,  you  are  too  ill,  I  see  it,"  said  Goujet,  grinning  re- 
morselessly. "You  won't,  eh?  All  right,  then  take 
your  chances  with  the  pirates,  but  don't  blame  me  when 
you  find  yourself  on  the  way  to  the  bottom  with  a  hun- 
dred weight  of  shot  on  your  heels. ' ' 

"  Mercy — mercy,  seignior  !  Take  the  wallet ;  if  there 
be  more  than  fifty  pistoles — why — I  have  forgotten  how 
much  there  is  ! "  and  the  wretched  man  wallowed  in  the 
extremity  of  his  anguish. 

1 '  Fifty — one  hundred, ' '  counted  Goujet  aloud.  ' '  Yes, 
it  is  evident  that  you  forgot,  for  I  find  here  three  hun- 
dred pistoles,  the  same  three  hundred  my  master  gave 
you  yesterday.  Now  your  life,  how  much  is  it  worth  to 
you,  friend  ?  Fifty  ?  Bah  !  I  snap  my  fingers  at  you. 
One  hundred  ?  I  would  not  open  my  lips  for  that  sum. 
Say  three  hundred  now  and  I  will  listen." 

"Three  hundred!  Ah,  how  can  I?"  wailed  his 
wretched  victim.  "It  is  all  that  I  have  in  the  world, 
may  the  saints  bear  me  witness,  and  I  a  poor  old  man 
with  ten — " 

"  Do  you  think  the  gentlemen  yonder  will  leave  you 
in  possession  of  your  gold?"  sneered  Goujet.  "No, 
they  will  relieve  you  of  all  such  worldly  anxieties  before 
they—" 

357 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Take  it — take  it  !"  groaned  de  Miguel,  hiding  his 
face  with  his  hands,  while  tears  of  anguish  actually  rolled 
down  between  his  fingers. 

' '  What  is  all  this  about  ?' '  said  the  stern  voice  of 
Baillot.  "  Have  you  not  tormented  this  unhappy  wretch 
sufficiently  ? — What  is  this  ?  his  purse  ?  Ah  !  Goujet, 
Goujet,  you  cannot  easily  relinquish  your  calling.  Re- 
store it  at  once,  I  command  you.  Then  come  with  me, 
I  have  something  for  your  private  ear. ' ' 

Goujet  sullenly  tossed  the  purse  toward  the  Portuguese 
who  clutched  at  it  joyfully.  But  as  he  was  crossing  the 
deck  a  few  minutes  later,  he  heard  the  voice  of  de  Mi- 
guel calling  him  softly. 

"What  do  you  want  ?"  he  said  gruffly. 

"  The  purse — take  it,  you  must  have  it  !"  whispered 
de  Miguel  beseechingly,  '  *  but  remember  to  do  as  you 
have  promised  ! ' ' 

Goujet  hesitated  a  moment,  then  with  a  sidelong 
glance  at  Baillot  he  thrust  it  into  his  pocket.  "  I  never 
refuse  gold  when  a  gentleman  offers  it  to  me  so  politely, ' ' 
he  growled,  "  and  I  will  remember  the  bargain — though 
morbleu  !  'tis  not  likely  to  go  any  easier  with  you  on 
that  account. ' ' 


358 


CHAPTER  XLIII 

THE    HAUNTED    TERRACE 

TOWARDS  evening  of  that  same  day,  the  irregular  out- 
lines of  the  island  came  into  view.  The  Rouge  et  Noir 
still  hung  upon  the  horizon  in  very  much  the  same  posi- 
tion as  when  she  was  first  sighted. 

Goujet  shook  his  head.  "They  are  bound  to  over- 
haul us  before  long,"  he  predicted.  "  If  we  could  but 
make  the  secret  entrance  you  speak  of,  master,  'tis  just 
possible  that  we  might  shake  them  off;  but  I  don't  hope 
for  it,  they  would  anchor  and  send  a  boat  ashore  and 
search  till  they  found  us.  Suppose  we  go  on  and  thus 
throw  them  off  the  scent ;  I  believe  they  would  find  it 
difficult  to  overhaul  us." 

"They  would  not  try,"  said  Baillot.  "They  would 
land  on  the  island,  and  if  the  women  are  still  there, 
and  comparatively  unprotected — ' '  the  speaker  paused, 
then  added  in  a  firm  voice,  "  We  will  stop  now." 

' '  Let  us  at  least  lay  off  and  on  for  a  few  hours,  we 
may  perhaps  be  able  to  enter  the  channel  unperceived, ' ' 
suggested  Goujet.  And  to  this  course,  after  some  hesi- 
tation, Baillot  consented.  He  was  on  fire  with  impa- 
tience, and  would  have  landed  without  regard  to  the 
possible  intentions  of  the  pirates  had  the  matter  been 
left  entirely  to  his  own  judgment. 

Under  the  wary  hand  of  Goujet  the  little  vessel  exe- 
cuted a  number  of  manoeuvers,  calculated  to  mislead  the 
enemy,  who  did  not  fail  in  the  meantime  to  lessen  the 
359 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

distance  between  them  by  several  miles.  Towards 
nightfall  the  yacht  sailed  around  the  island,  whose 
wooded  heights  now  intervened  to  cut  off  the  sharp 
eyes  aboard  the  brigantine,  and  favored  by  the  inflow- 
ing tide,  slipped  quietly  in  toward  her  old  moorings. 

As  Baillot  stood  in  the  bow  the  memory  of  that  other 
evening  rushed  back  upon  his  mind.  Now  as  then  the 
brilliant  hues  of  sunset  gleamed  upon  the  glassy  surface 
of  the  stream,  birds  called  to  each  other  amid  trees  and 
thickets,  and  the  heavy  odor  of  flowers  drifted  past  like 
clouds  of  incense.  Goujet  stood  at  his  side  quite  silent, 
looking  curiously  about  him  ;  the  two  Portuguese  sailors 
chattered  together  in  the  stern,  while  de  Miguel,  who 
had  somewhat  recovered  himself,  stood  apart,  smoking 
in  sullen  silence.  Suddenly  the  yacht  rounded  the 
point,  and  a  cry  of  dismay  burst  from  Baillot  as  his 
eye  fell  upon  the  disconsolate  heap  of  ruins  which 
crowned  the  heights  above  the  lagoon.  He  turned  in- 
stinctively to  de  Miguel,  who  was  regarding  the  place 
with  his  usual  inscrutable  air. 

"  What  has  happened  here  ?' '  he  cried.  De  Miguel's 
sole  reply  was  a  shrug  and  a  deprecatory  wave  of  the 
hand.  "Ah,  you  knew  of  this.  How  did  it  happen? 
Who  has  been  here  ?' ' 

"How  should  I  know,  seignior,"  replied  the  Portu- 
guese. "Am  I  a  saint  in  heaven  that  I  should  behold 
all  that  passes  upon  the  earth  ?  I  swear  to  you  that  I 
have  not  stepped  my  foot  off  the  island  of  Terciora  for 
a  year  past ;  I  know  nothing  of  what  has  taken  place 
here.  Perhaps  there  has  been  an  earthquake." 

"Yes,  that  is  possible  in  these  latitudes,"  murmured 
Baillot  to  himself.  "  My  God  !  What  has  become  of 
her  !" 

360 


THE  HAUNTED  TERRACE 

"  There  is  at  least  some  person  on  the  island,  mas- 
ter," said  Goujet,  touching  him  lightly  upon  the 
shoulder.  "  See  !" 

Baillot  looked  eagerly,  he  thought  he  could  make  out 
the  outlines  of  a  human  figure  in  the  gathering  dark- 
ness. "  Winters,  ahoy  !"  he  shouted,  then  as  no  answer 
came  back,  "  Hola  !  there,  Cato  !  Winters!  'Tis  a 
friend." 

Still  there  was  no  sound  of  voices,  no  stir  in  the  dark 
shadow  that  lurked  in  a  corner  of  the  rocky  stairway 
leading  up  to  the  ruined  terrace.  "  You  are  mistaken," 
he  said  turning  to  Goujet.  ' '  There  is  no  one  there  ; 
'tis  but  a  shadow." 

As  if  to  contradict  this  statement,  the  shadow  in 
question  started  up  and  flitted  along  the  stair  toward 
the  terrace ;  at  the  same  instant  there  fell  upon  their 
ears  a  singular  and  indescribable  sound,  ending  in  a 
long,  blood-curdling,  wailing  shriek. 

Baillot  stood  for  an  instant  perfectly  motionless. 
The  two  sailors  shaking  as  if  with  the  palsy  had  drawn 
close  to  Goujet,  calling  aloud  on  all  the  saints  to  pro- 
tect them.  But  it  was  upon  de  Miguel  that  this  dis- 
comfiting incident  produced  the  most  startling  effect. 
The  half-smoked  manilla  had  dropped  from  his  fingers 
at  the  first  mention  of  human  presence,  but  as  the  echo 
of  that  strange  cry  died  away  among  the  ruins,  he  darted 
forward,  his  eyeballs  starting  out  of  his  head,  his  ghastly 
face  drawn  almost  out  of  semblance  to  that  of  a  human 
being. 

"  God  in  heaven  !"   he  cried  in  a  husky,  unnatural 

voice.      "  'Tis  he  !     I  betrayed  him — I  alone  knew." 

Rushing  past  the  astonished  beholders  he  precipitated 

himself  violently  down  the  stair  into  the  cabin,  the 

361 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

door  of  which  they  could  hear  him  double-locking  after 
him. 

"Whew  !"  said  Goujet,  who  was  the  first  to  recover 
himself,  "  our  friend  has  something  on  his  conscience. 
Voila  !  he'll  have  to  unlock  that  door,  we'll  hardly  be 
able  to  give  up  both  cabins  to  his  convenience.  What 
now  is  your  thought,  master,  of  a  shadow  that  can  make 
such  disagreeable  noises  ?' ' 

"  The  explanation  is  only  too  evident,"  said  Baillot 
gloomily.  "Some  horrrible  disaster  has  befallen  all 
the  party  save  one  ;  that  one  has  become  a  maniac. ' ' 

"  I  fear  that  you  are  right,"  said  Goujet  with  a  rueful 
shake  of  his  grizzled  head.  "We  must  at  all  events 
find  out ;  the  poor  devil  may  recover  his  senses  if  he  be 
taken  from  this  dismal  spot.  Morbleu  !  master,  figure 
to  yourself  what  it  must  be  to  be  mad  and  alone  in  a 
place  like  this  !"  Then  as  Baillot  answered  him  never 
a  word  but  still  stood  staring  into  the  darkness,  he  con- 
tinued in  a  matter-of-fact  way,  "  'Twill  be  altogether 
best  to  land,  since  our  late  messmates  may  drop  down 
upon  us  at  almost  any  moment.  On  shipboard  our 
chances  would  be — ' '  and  he  snapped  his  fingers  expres- 
sively— "but  among  the  nooks  and  crannies  of  yonder 
ruins  we  might  defy  them.  I  will  undertake  to  unearth 
our  passenger,"  and  whistling  cheerfully  he  clattered 
down  the  narrow  stairway  and  assailed  the  closed  door 
of  the  cabin  with  no  gentle  hand. 

"  Open  the  door,  you  rascal,"  he  shouted.  "There's 
nothing  above  to  hurt  a  mouse  !  What  do  you  mean  by 
locking  yourself  in  the  captain's  quarters,  you  dirty  lub- 
ber, you  ?  Open  this  instant  or  I'll  kick  down  the  door, 
and  its  probably  worth  fifty  pistoles — and  you  a  poor  man 
with  ten  small  children  and  more  coming.  Open,  I  say  I" 
362 


THE  HAUNTED  TERRACE 

Then  as  there  was  no  reply  whatever,  he  proceeded  to 
put  his  threat  into  execution,  the  door  giving  way  with 
a  crash  before  the  enormous  strength  of  his  shoulders. 

"  Where  are  you,  villain  !"  he  said,  peering  curiously 
about.  "Ah,  voila  /"  as  his  eye  fell  upon  de  Miguel 
who  was  crouched  in  a  shivering  heap  in  one  corner. 
"What  are  you  afraid  of,  imbecile?  At  the  worst  'tis 
but  some  poor  madman,  crazed  by  the  solitude  of  this 
infernal  place.  Come  now,  get  you  up  on  deck  ;  we  are 
going  on  shore  to  camp."  And  he  laid  a  compelling 
hand  on  the  shoulder  of  the  Portuguese. 

"No,  no  !"  wailed  de  Miguel,  "I  will  not  go  on 
shore.  I  will  stay  here — though  God  knows,  perhaps 
he  will  find  me  here  also  !"  and  he  gazed  about  him 
with  a  vacant  stare. 

"Come,  come,  man!  you  have  been  ill,  and  you 
were  a  bit  shaken  by  that  crazy  loon  among  the  ruins  ; 
it  was  not  a  pleasant  sound  I'll  allow,  but  there's  no  oc- 
casion for  a  fuss  like  this.  You  see" — added  the 
speaker  with  a  grin — "those  pirates  I  was  telling  you 
about  are  not  more  than  a  mile  away  by  this  time  ;  they 
know  well  enough  where  we've  gone,  and  it  won't  be 
many  hours  before  they  clap  eyes  onto  this  vessel.  It 
won' t  be  healthy  for  us  to  be  aboard  along  about  that 
time  ;  we'd  stand  about  as  much  chance  as  a  bluefish  be- 
fore a  shark.  The  ship  you're  bo\md  to  lose,  my  man, 
but  you  may  make  out  to  save  your  neck  if  you  aren't 
too  much  of  an  ass. ' ' 

De  Miguel  apparently  did  not  hear  what  was  being 
said,  he  was  still  muttering  unintelligibly  to  himself. 
Goujet  stared  at  him  curiously. 

"  I  say,  my  friend  !"  he  said  at  length,  "  what  is  this 
you're  jabbering  about?    Who  is  he ?  And  what  do  you 
363 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

suppose  he1  s  going  to  do  to  you,  supposing  it  was  he  we 
heard  caterwauling  above  ?' ' 

De  Miguel  eyed  his  questioner  dully.  "Don't  you 
know  that  I  can't  tell?"  he  asked,  with  some  surprise 
evident  in  his  voice.  "They  would  kill  me — yes,  by 
inches,"  and  he  shudderingly  relapsed  into  silence. 

"It's  pretty  evident  that  you've  lost  whatever  wits  you 
may  have  had.  Stay  here,  if  you  want  to,  I  don't  care  a 
pistareen.  We  are  going  ashore,  and  we'  re  going  now. ' ' 

"  Don't  leave  me  !"  cried  de  Miguel,  sinking  to  his 
knees  and  catching  at  Goujet's  trousers.  "  Don't  leave 
me  here  alone,"  his  voice  raising  to  a  shriek.  "  I  am 
a  rich  man,  I  will  give  you  five  hundred — stay — a 
thousand  pistoles  if  you  will  take  me  away  from  this  ac- 
cursed spot.  Good  friend,  kind  seignior,  you  have  a 
good  heart  and  you  love  gold.  Listen  ! ' ' 

And  indeed  Goujet  was  listening  with  all  his  ears. 
"  A  thousand  pistoles  !"  he  exclaimed  under  his  breath. 
"You  don't  mean  that  now  !" 

"But,  yes,  seignior.  I  do  mean  it.  And  you  shall 
have  this  vessel  also,  I  swear  it.  Think  what  a  fine  little 
business  you  could  do  in  your  line!"  The  speaker's 
voice  had  resumed  something  of  its  natural  oily  and  per- 
suasive tone  by  this  time.  "  Come,  seignior,"  he  whis- 
pered, "  I  could  put  you  onto  something  very  desirable, 
very  lucrative — ah,  you  don't  know  !" 

Goujet  burst  into  a  great  laugh.  "Don't  I?"  he 
exclaimed.  "Well,  I  ought  to  if  I  don't,  I've  seen 
the  way  you  manage  a  bargain.  But  I've  other  busi- 
ness on  hand  for  the  present.  I'll  take  you  away — for 
the  consideration  mentioned — to-morrow,  if  the  pirates 
haven't  found  us  by  that  time.  Come  now,  be  lively  ! 
We  must  get  out  of  here. ' ' 

364 


THE  HAUNTED  TERRACE 

Without  a  word  de  Miguel  sprang  past  him  to  the 
deck.  The  two  sailors  had  already  scrambled  over  the 
side,  and  were  busy  making  the  ship  fast  to  the  pier, 
but  they  returned  instantly  to  the  deck  in  response  to 
de  Miguel's  shrill  whistle.  He  talked  with  them  earn- 
estly for  a  few  minutes  in  some  language  which  Goujet 
did  not  understand. 

"What  do  you  mean,  men,"  exclaimed  Baillot, 
"  by  leaving  your  work  to  attend  another's  com- 
mands ?' ' 

De  Miguel  uttered  a  short  sharp  command  in  the  same 
unknown  tongue,  and  the  two  sprang  over  the  side  and 
resumed  their  occupation  without  even  so  much  as  a 
glance  at  Baillot. 

' '  Perhaps  I  had  best  demand  an  explanation  of  this 
singular  occurrence  from  you,  Monsieur  de  Miguel," 
said  the  young  man,  turning  to  the  Portuguese.  "  How 
does  it  happen  that  you  give  counter-commands  to 
sailors  on  my  own  ship  ?' ' 

"  Your  own  ship  !"  repeated  de  Miguel  with  an  offen- 
sive laugh. 

"Yes,  my  own  ship,  sir,  in  that  I  have  paid  you 
three  hundred  pistoles  for  the  use  of  it.  It  is  mine  for 
ten  days." 

"And  where  might  the  pistoles  be  at  this  moment?" 
said  the  Portuguese,  plan  ting  his  legs  far  apart  and  staring 
insolently  into  Baillot' s  face. 

"How  should  I  know,  fellow,"  replied  Baillot, 
whitening  with  anger.  "  I  paid  you  ;  you  do  not  pre- 
tend to  deny  the  fact,  do  you  ?' ' 

"You  paid  me,  truly,"  said  de  Miguel,  snapping 
his  fingers  contemptuously.  "  But  within  twenty-four 
hours  what  happens.  Your  worthy  friend  here,  your 
365 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

mate — I  know  not  what  you  call  him,  I  shall  call  him 
another  name,  not  a  pretty  one ;  shall  I  tell  you  what 
it  is?  Your  accomplice,  that  is  what  I  please  to  call 
him — gets  the  three  hundred  pistoles  away  from  me 
when  I  am  weak  with  illness,  and  moreover  will  not 
permit  me  to  lay  my  head  in  a  bunk  till  I  have  paid 
him  one  hundred  and  fifty  more.  What  then  ?  Is  this 
your  ship  ?  Are  these  sailors  under  your  command  ? 
Bah,  I  spit  in  your  face  !  you  are  nothing  but  a  dirty 
pirate,  you  and  your — Help  !  Murder  !" 

"  Let  him  be,  Goujet !  Take  your  hands  off  him  ! 
Now  answer,  is  what  he  said  true  ?' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Goujet  sullenly.  "It  is  partly  true; 
but  did  he  not  cheat  you,  master  !  What  right  had 
he—" 

"  Hold,  friend  !  he  did  not  cheat  me  if  I  agreed  to 
his  terms.  I  did  so,  you  remember.  You  have  humil- 
iated me  more  than  I  can  tell  you ;  if  what  he  had  said 
was  false,  I  should  have  given  him  reason  to  remember 
that  he  had  called  the  last  of  the  de  Lantenacs — a — 
thief !  but  now — ' ' 

"Oh,  master,  master,  don't  look  at  me  like  that! 
don't  hate  me  !  I  don't  care  for  the  gold,  let  him  have 
it !  I  did  it  for  you.  I — ' ' 

"Restore  the  gold,  and  say  no  more  about  it,  but 
remember  in  the  future  that  whilst  we  are  together  the 
world  will  judge  me  through  you." 

"  God  forbid  !"  ejaculated  Goujet  fervently.  "  Here 
take  your  money,  dog,  but  do  not  forget  that  the  bar- 
gain is  off  between  us. " 

"  I  shall  have  no  need  of  your  assistance,  seignior," 
said  de  Miguel  with  an  unpleasant  smile.  He  seemed 
to  have  forgotten  his  fears,  and  leaned  upon  the  rail 
366 


THE  HAUNTED  TERRACE 

blowing  light  rings  of  smoke  from  his  lips  with  an  air 
of  insolent  triumph.  Goujet  looked  at  him  keenly  but 
he  said  nothing ;  several  new  and  unpleasant  ideas  had 
come  into  his  head. 

' '  There  are  three  of  them, ' '  he  whispered  to  Baillot, 
"  and  that  fellow  means  mischief  of  some  kind.  Let 
us  get  on  shore  at  once.  But  we  must  keep  a  sharp 
lookout ;  these  Portuguese  are  the  very  devil  once  their 
resentment  is  aroused. ' ' 


367 


CHAPTER  XLIV 

THE    RUINS 

"WE  will  go  now,"  said  Baillot  after  a  pause. 
"Come,"  he  added,  addressing  de  Miguel  with  no 
trace  of  anger  in  his  voice.  ' '  You  will  accompany 
us?" 

"I  prefer  to  remain  on  board,  honored  seignior," 
said  de  Miguel  with  an  insolent  smile.  "Between  pi- 
rates on  land  and  pirates  on  the  sea  there  is,  I  believe, 
very  little  choice. ' ' 

"I  shall  kill  him — I  must  kill  him!"  whispered 
Goujet,  his  voice  skaking  with  rage.  "He  has  in- 
sulted you." 

"  He  has  but  spoken  as  you  gave  him  reason,"  said 
Baillot  wearily.  "  Come,  I  care  not  what  he  says,  let 
him  remain  if  he  will." 

"  The  sailors  must  go  with  us,"  said  Goujet  savagely. 
"Move  lively  now,  my  men  ;  carry  these  things  up  the 
hill." 

But  the  two  sailors  seemed  not  to  have  heard  the 
order ;  they  stood,  stolidly  smoking  their  short  black 
pipes  and  exchanging  an  occasional  sentence. 

"Did  you  hear  what  I  said  to  you?"  said  Goujet  in 
a  loud  voice,  which  in  spite  of  himself  betrayed  his 
anxiety. 

De  Miguel  who  was  still  leaning  over  the  rail,  watch- 
ing the  scene  with  malicious  enjoyment,  allowed  his 
168 


THE  RUINS 

amusement  to  carry  him  still  further  at  this,  for  he 
laughed  aloud. 

Baillot  had  already  climbed  half-way  up  the  ascent  to 
the  ruined  chateau.  He  did  not  care  whether  the  sailors 
came  with  them  or  not ;  he  had  forgotten  the  pirates  ; 
the  insolence  of  de  Miguel  was  something  that  he  had 
no  mind  to  consider.  In  a  word,  he  was  for  the  time 
being  oblivious  to  all  earthly  considerations  save  those 
concerning  the  companions  whom  he  had  last  seen  alive 
in  this  mysterious  place.  Were  they  alive  still  ?  The 
awful  catastrophe  which  had  taken  place,  and  to  which 
the  shapeless  ruins  above  his  head  bore  witness,  was  it 
of  nature,  or  had  the  hand  of  man  produced  it  ?  What 
was  the  formless  shadow  whence  had  proceeded  the 
eldrich  shrieks  ? 

Deep  in  thought  the  young  man  kept  steadily  on  his 
way  without  once  stopping  to  look  behind ;  he  had 
almost  gained  the  terrace  when  the  short  sharp  crack  of 
a  pistol  from  below  aroused  him  from  his  anxious  revery. 
He  stopped  to  listen  ;  a  second,  then  a  third  report  fol- 
lowed, then  he  saw  someone  running  toward  him  with 
great  leaps  and  bounds.  It  was  Goujet. 

"How  now,  sir,"  he  said  sternly,  "what  has  hap- 
pened ?' ' 

"  Do  not  stop  to  question  me.  Up  to  the  ruins  as 
quickly  as  possible  ! ' ' 

Once  on  the  terrace,  Goujet  paused  for  an  instant  to 
look  back,  there  was  neither  sound  nor  motion  from 
below.  "The  cowards,"  he  exclaimed  between  his 
shut  teeth,  "  they  will  not  dare  to  pursue  us  i" 

"  What  has  happened?" 

' '  Those  dogs  of  sailors  refused  to  obey  me,  and  de 
Miguel  laughed  in  my  face.     I  told  him  that  in  case  the 
24  369 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

rascals  did  not  obey  I  would  shoot  them — which  is 
quite  proper,  as  you  know,  master,  in  a  case  of  mutiny. 
Then  he  spoke  to  them  in  that  infernal  gibberish,  which 
I  believe  to  be  Malay,  the  language  of  the  devil,  and 
one  of  them  drew  a  pistol  and  fired  at  me.  Luckily  he 
missed;  it  didn't  take  me  long  to  return  the  compli- 
ment with  rather  better  effect ;  the  fellow  dropped  like 
a  log,  I  didn't  wait  to  pick  him  up  and  find  out  where 
he  was  hit. ' ' 

"And  the  third  shot?" 

"Was  fired  after  me  by  de  Miguel;  it  winged  me 
too,  I  believe.  Yes,  here  in  the  shoulder.  A  mere 
trifle,  though ;  don't  trouble  yourself,  master.  The 
worst  of  it  is,  that  I  was  forced  to  leave  everything  be- 
hind. We  shall  pass  a  sorry  night  with  neither  fire  nor 
food.  For  myself  I  care  not,  but  for  you — ' ' 

"It  matters  not,  if  the  rascals  do  not  carry  off  the 
vessel. ' ' 

"That  is  what  they  mean  to  do,"  quoth  Goujet. 
"  But  their  only  possible  chance  is  to  get  away  to-night ; 
and  with  but  one  man  to  work  the  ship,  and  the  tide 
still  running  in  !  Bah  !  Let  them  try  it !" 

It  was  now  quite  dark  and  although  Baillot  was  burn- 
ing with  impatience  to  begin  his  investigations,  he  per- 
ceived that  this  would  be  impossible  before  daybreak. 
He  therefore  seated  himself  upon  the  terrace,  his  back 
against  the  wall,  and  wrapping  his  cloak  about  him, 
prepared  to  pass  the  night  in  this  position.  Goujet 
after  some  hesitation  followed  his  example. 

"  Are  you  asleep,  master?"  he  whispered  after  an  in- 
terval of  silence. 

"No." 

"  Did  you  hear  that  noise?" 
370 


THE  RUINS 

''Assuredly,  I  have  good  ears." 

The  noise  in  question  was  a  strange  one  ;  it  recurred 
at  intervals.  Swish  !  swish  !  swish  !  the  interruptions 
of  the  swishing  sounds  being  filled  in  with  a  low,  inco- 
herent murmur. 

"  What  do  you  think  it  is?" 

"  Owls,  perhaps  ;  perhaps  the  madman." 

"The  mad  shadow,  you  mean.     We  saw  no  man." 

"True!" 

The  two  relapsed  into  silence  again,  dozing  fitfully, 
but  always  sleeping,  as  the  old  saying  has  it,  with  one 
ear  open.  After  a  time  the  strange  noises  ceased,  and 
complete  silence,  broken  only  by  the  sound  of  the  night- 
wind  as  it  wailed  through  the  eyeless  windows,  brooded 
peacefully  over  the  dismal  ruin,  and  the  uneasy  sleepers 
on  its  threshold.  Toward  morning  Baillot  opened  his 
eyes  and  started  up  ;  he  fancied  that  he  had  heard  some- 
where near  them  a  stealthy  sound,  as  of  one  walking 
on  the  stones  with  bare  feet.  But  though  he  listened 
breathlessly,  the  sound  was  not  repeated,  and  the  im- 
penetrable darkness  gave  no  sign  that  a  still  blacker 
shadow  was  lurking  under  its  cover.  At  the  first  streak 
of  dawn  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  looked  keenly  about 
him  ;  below  he  could  dimly  make  out  through  the  misty 
uncertain  light  the  masts  and  rigging  of  the  yacht.  There 
was  nothing  to  be  seen  on  the  terrace  nor  on  the  stair- 
way ;  but  the  light,  which  was  momently  growing 
brighter,  revealed  more  plainly  the  havoc  wrought  in 
the  once  stately  chateau.  Yawning  rents  in  the  smoke- 
blackened  walls  permitted  glimpses  into  its  interior, 
which  had  evidently  been  gutted  by  fire,  though  here 
and  there  a  bit  of  rich  drapery  fluttering  in  the  breeze,  or 
a  half-ruined  cornice  which  had  escaped  the  fury  of  the 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

devouring  element,  gave  a  look  of  ghastly  brightness  to 
the  place,  as  of  a  corpse  decked  out  with  tinsel  and  rib- 
bons. 

The  ruin  however  possessed  little  interest  for  Baillot. 
He  had  not  forgotten  how  Winters  had  wished  to  re- 
move to  the  more  modest  quarters  afforded  by  the  cot- 
tage, and  he  still  hoped  that  he  might  find  his  compan- 
ions there  alive  and  well.  He  bent  over  Goujet,  who 
was  really  sleeping  now,  as  his  relaxed  limbs  and  heavy 
breathing  bore  witness. 

"Awake,"  he  cried  in  the  sleeper's  ear.  "Come, 
it  is  day!"  accompanying  his  words  with  a  vigorous 
shake. 

"  Ah — yes — certainly — that  is.  Is  the  yacht  gone  ?' ' 
cried  Goujet,  springing  to  his  feet  with  alacrity  as  his 
senses  came  back  to  him.  "Bon  /  I  see  her  there. 
We  will  now  descend  and  see  what  has  happened. ' ' 

"Not  until  we  have  looked  about  the  place,"  said 
Baillot  firmly.  "  Come,  I  am  going  now." 

"But,  master,  the  pirates  may  be  here  at  any  mo- 
ment. We  must  at  least  secure  materials  for  a  fire,  and 
some  provisions." 

But  Baillot  paid  no  heed,  he  was  already  half  over  a 
pile  of  broken  stone  and  debris. 

"Morbleu  /' '  muttered  Goujet,  looking  after  his  retreat- 
ing figure  ruefully.  "We  shall  not  then  breakfast  this 
morning  !  We  did  not  sup  last  night !  But  what  is 
food  when  a  man  is  in  love  ?  Helas .'  to  be  tied  to  a 
man  in  love  is  like  being  hitched  to  the  tail  of  a  comet. 
I  am  not  in  love ;  but  I  must  go  after  him,  I  suppose. ' ' 
And  casting  one  last,  longing  look  in  the  direction  of 
the  landing,  where  the  yacht  with  no  sign  of  life  about 
her  white  decks,  lay  quietly  rising  and  falling  on  the 
372 


THE  RUINS 

light  ripples  of  the  lagoon,  he  followed  rapidly  on  after 
the  active  figure  of  the  young  count. 

"  And  how  will  all  this  end?"  he  grumbled,  as  he 
hurried  along,  stopping  to  snatch  at  some  half-rotted 
fruit  as  they  passed  through  the  orchard  closes.  "If 
the  mademoiselle  and  her  lady  mother  are  here,  what 
shall  we  do  with  them  ?  If  they  are  not  here,  what  in 
heaven's  name  shall  I  do  with  him?  He  will  be  ready 
to  die  with  grief.  In  any  case  there  is  that  rascal  de 
Miguel  to  deal  with,  to  say  nothing  of  the  pirates.  If 
only  I  had  let  them  carry  him  aboard  the  English  ves- 
sel when  he  was  out  of  his  mind  there.  Mafoi,  but  it 
would  have  been  a  good  thing  !  What  does  he  see  now 
I  wonder;  he  has  stopped  short."  And  the  faithful 
fellow  quickened  his  pace  to  a  run. 

"  What  is  it,  master?"  he  said. 

The  young  man  only  groaned  aloud. 

Goujet  looked  about  him  carefully  and  presently  his 
eye  fell  upon  the  ruins  of  the  cottage  showing  black 
and  dismal  in  the  bright  light  of  the  dawn.  "Do 
you  mean  that  you  hoped  to  find  them  yonder?"  he 
asked ;  then  as  Baillot  did  not  answer,  he  continued, 
"  There's  been  some  sort  of  queer  work  here,  I  should 
say.  What  now  may  this  mean?"  indicating  as  he 
spoke  a  long  rough  hillock  of  freshly-dug  earth,  in  the 
top  of  which  a  couple  of  iron  spades  stood  up  stiffly 
while  near  at  hand  lay  several  rusty  pickaxes. 

Baillot  shuddered.  "  It  looks,"  he  said  in  a  smoth- 
ered voice,  "  like  a  great  grave."  And  in  this  conjec- 
ture he  was  right,  it  being  the  spot  where  the  Huguenots 
had  buried  the  unfortunate  convicts. 

Goujet  was  privately  of  the  same  opinion,  but  he  did 
not  say  so.  "Let  us  make  haste,"  he  said  briskly, 
373 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"and  look  the  place  over  thoroughly  while  we  are 
about  it ;  it  will  not  take  long.  I  am  beginning  to 
hope,  my  lord,  that  your  notion  was  the  right  one, 
and  that  your  party  made  good  their  escape  some  time 
ago,  as  was  evidenced  by  finding  mademoiselle's  orna- 
ment in  the  cabin  of  the  yacht.  We  will  return,  and 
it  shall  go  hard  with  me  if  I  do  not  in  some  way  force 
that  scoundrel  de  Miguel  to  tell  us  the  truth  of  the 
matter — that  is,  if  you  will  permit  me  to  try  my  own 
way  with  the  fellow." 

Baillot's  dull  eyes  kindled.  "I  care  not  what  you 
do  with  him,"  he  cried  hotly.  "He  has  dealt  foully 
with  me  ;  I  am  persuaded  that  he  knew  of  this  thing, — 
that  he  knows — what  has  become  of  her. ' ' 

"Never  fear,  master,"  said  Goujet  confidently,  "we 
shall  find  them  yet.  For  my  part,  I  think  it  is  a  good 
thing  that  they  are  not  here  ;  we  shall  go  away  with  a 
good  conscience,  and — " 

"We  shall  perhaps  leave  them — if  they  are  there," 
said  Baillot,  relapsing  into  hopeless  gloom,  and  in- 
dicating the  rough  hillock  with  a  gesture  full  of 
horror. 

"  Do  not  let  that  trouble  you,  master.  No  one  would 
have  the  heart  to  murder  two  helpless  women.  We 
shall  see,  and  in  the  meantime  what  harm  to  hope  for 
the  best  that  may  very  easily  have  happened?  That 
sailor,  Winters,  was  a  shrewd  fellow  now  from  what  you 
have  told  me,  is  it  not  so  ?  Very  well  then,  many 
things  may  have  taken  place,  but  with  a  brave  quick- 
witted man  to  protect  them  the  women  have  doubtless 
escaped  long  before  all  this,"  indicating  with  a  wave  of 
his  hand  the  ruined  buildings  and  the  ominous  mound 
at  their  feet. 

374 


THE  RUINS 

"It  is  true  that  he  was  most  anxious  to  take  to  the 
yacht  as  soon  as  we  found  that  the  island  was  deserted, ' ' 
said  Baillot  musingly,  and  with  a  slight  relaxing  of  the 
set  lines  of  his  face. 

Goujet  who  was  watching  him  closely  perceived 
this  with  satisfaction.  "  And  why  did  you  not  do  so  ?" 
he  asked. 

"  Why  did  we  not  ?  Would  to  heaven  that  we  had  ! 
There  were  no  charts,  and  I  objected  on  that  account ; 
the  women  also  were  unwilling — " 

"But  don't  you  see,  master,"  broke  in  Goujet 
eagerly,  "that  after  your  mysterious  disappearance  the 
women  would  be  very  much  frightened,  and  then  the 
sailor  would  have  no  difficulty  in  persuading  them  to 
leave  the  island  ?  Now  this  fire,  and  also  this  mound, 
is  of  very  recent  date,  for  there  is  no  vegetation  about, 
and  in  this  climate  there  would  be  in  a  very  short  time  ; 
also  the  yacht  was  uninjured.  There  is  no  doubt  about 
it ;  they  left  soon  after  you  did. ' ' 

Baillot  did  not  reply,  but  Goujet' s  arguments  had 
evidently  carried  some  degree  of  conviction,  for  he 
walked  more  briskly  and  looked  about  him  with  less  of 
gloom  and  sadness. 

The  circuit  of  the  island  was  soon  completed.  They 
saw  nothing  to  throw  any  additional  light  upon  the 
matter ;  the  ruined  barns,  and  the  festering  remains  of 
several  of  the  domestic  animals  only  confirming  them 
in  their  conviction  that  the  devastation  and  death 
evident  upon  every  hand  was  the  deliberate  work  of 
man's  hand. 

"  Now  if  we  can  but  slip  away  and  get  well  out  to 
sea  before  the  Rouge  et  Noir  gets  wind  of  our  where- 
abouts, we  shall  be  able  to  make  good  our  escape," 
375 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Goujet  was  saying  as  they  caught  sight  of  the  yacht. 
But  the  words  were  no  sooner  out  of  his  mouth  than  he 
followed  them  by  a  shocking  oath.  "  We  are  too  late," 
he  cried.  ' '  The  rascals  have  landed  ! ' ' 


376 


CHAPTER   XLV 

TOKENS 

"  WE  must  look  lively  now,  for  some  of  the  devils 
have  started  up  the  hill,"  said  Goujet  in  an  anxious 
whisper.  ' '  The  yacht' s  lost  anyhow  ! ' ' 

Baillot  stood  composedly  watching  the  scene  with  a 
curious  expression  upon  his  face.  Half  a  dozen  of  the 
pirates  were  examining  the  rigging  of  their  prize,  while 
a  second  group  were  gathered  closely  about  some  object 
on  the  deck.  This  it  presently  appeared  was  a  man  ; 
the  man  was  de  Miguel.  Even  from  the  distance  at 
which  they  stood  they  could  hear  the  bursts  of  derisive 
laughter  with  which  his  captors  were  receiving  his  evi- 
dent supplications. 

Goujet  smiled  grimly.  "Come,  we  must  be  mov- 
ing," he  urged;  "if  they  do  not  see  us  it  is  possible 
they  will  not  find  out  that  we  were  aboard  ;  in  any  case 
we  shall  be  marooned. ' ' 

Cautiously  retreating  for  a  few  paces  and  skirting  a 
little  hillock  which  arose  to  the  left,  they  presently 
came  upon  the  outer  entrance  to  the  cavern,  which  the 
Huguenots  had  left  wide  open  on  the  day  of  their  de- 
parture. Without  a  moment's  hesitation  Goujet  darted 
into  the  place.  "Come,"  he  said  impatiently,  "we 
can  fasten  this  door." 

"Hold,  my  friend  !"  said  Baillot,  looking  thought- 
fully about  him.  "Let  us  first  conceal  this  entrance 
with  vines  and  shrubs.  They  could  force  the  door 
377 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

with  ease,  and  we  do  not  yet  know  whether  there  be 
any  other  exit. ' ' 

"True;  master,  I  had  not  thought  of  that." 

" Morbleu,  they  are  looking  for  us!"  whispered 
Goujet  a  moment  later,  peering  through  the  interstices 
of  the  boughs  which  they  had  hastily  arranged  before 
the  door.  "There's  Lock  now!"  and  he  raised  his 
pistol,  and  sighted  deliberately. 

"Madman!"  exclaimed  Baillot.  "What  are  you 
thinking  of?' ' 

"  If  I  should  shoot  him,  I  could  go  out  this  minute 
and  claim  the  captaincy  !"  said  Goujet,  his  eyes  glitter- 
ing strangely.  "  I  know  the  men  ;  they  would  be  glad 
to  welcome  me." 

"Go  if  you  will,"  said  Baillot  turning  away,  "but 
at  least  do  not  betray  my  hiding-place." 

"I  did  not  mean  it;  forgive  me,  master!  the  sight 
of  that  man  angered  me.  But  let  us  explore  this 
place." 

Groping  their  way  down  the  narrow  passage  they 
soon  came  upon  the  curious  grotto  or  chamber,  which 
has  already  been  described,  where  the  Huguenots  on 
the  day  of  their  escape  had  found  the  mysterious  dead 
man  seated  in  the  great  chair,  and  where  afterward  oc- 
curred the  tragedy  which  had  hastened  their  departure 
from  the  island. 

They  found  various  indications  that  the  place  had 
been  recently  occupied.  On  the  rough  oaken  table  stood 
the  fragments  of  a  hasty  meal ;  ranged  against  the  wall 
were  the  heaps  of  boughs  and  dead  leaves  which  had 
served  as  beds,  while  in  one  corner  still  hung  the  ham- 
mocks woven  for  the  use  of  the  women  by  Winters. 

"More  than  four  people  have  been  here  of  late," 
378 


TOKENS 

quoth  Goujet,  judicially  examining  these  different  ob- 
jects, "and  what  now  might  this  be?" 

"This"  was  apparently  nothing  more  than  a  scrap 
of  discolored  leather,  but  at  sight  of  it  Baillot  turned 
pale.  He  took  it  in  his  hands  and  looked  at  it  care- 
fully. "  It  is  a  part  of  the  sole  of  a  woman's  shoe," 
he  said  hoarsely. 

"They  at  least  had  a  secure  hiding-place,"  com- 
mented Goujet  cheerfully. 

But  Baillot  was  not  to  be  cheered  by  anything  that 
his  well-meaning  companion  could  suggest.  He  looked 
about  the  place  with  a  shudder.  What  tortures  might 
have  taken  place  within  these  rocky  walls,  what  humil- 
iation, what  nameless  shame  !  The  young  man  buried 
his  face  in  his  hands  and  groaned  aloud  in  the  agony 
of  his  soul.  Goujet  meanwhile  continued  his  inves- 
tigations. He  looked  in  the  window  embrasures,  and 
under  the  table,  pulled  the  beds  to  pieces  and  peered 
into  the  dark  corners.  He  found  a  shapeless  frag- 
ment which  might  once  have  been  a  hat,  also  a  dilapi- 
dated pair  of  men's  shoes.  In  one  place  there  was 
an  ominous  dark -colored  patch  on  the  stone  floor,  over 
which  he  shook  his  head.  Next  the  hammocks  came 
in  for  a  share  of  his  attention ;  they  were  empty,  and 
he  was  about  to  turn  away,  when  he  spied  a  folded 
piece  of  paper  pinned  to  one  of  them.  "  Master,  see 
here  !"  he  called  out.  But  Baillot  did  not  stir. 

Goujet  glanced  at  him  compassionately  as  he  slowly 
and  carefully  unfolded  the  bit  of  paper,  then  with  a 
cry  of  joy  he  sprang  across  the  room. 

"  Master,  see  !  But  you  must  listen  !  The  paper — • 
They  are  safe!" 

" What— what  is  it?" 

379 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Here — look  ! — read  quickly  !" 

Baillot  seized  the  precious  bit  of  paper.  "ToM. 
Henri  Baillot,"  he  read,  "  Something  tells  me  that  you 
will  return  to  this  place  to  search  for  us.  We  have 
passed  through  great  dangers,  but  God  has  mercifully 
preserved  us,  and  in  a  way  almost  miraculous  has  given 
back  to  us  my  brother,  with  some  other  good  friends. 
This  morning  we  leave  the  island  on  the  yacht,  without 
chart  or  compass,  but  with  firm  faith  that  God  will  con- 
tinue his  loving  care  of  us.  Aftenvard  we  shall  go  to 
America."  The  letter  was  signed  simply  Madeline  de 
Langres  ;  it  was  undated. 

"The  yacht  arrived  safely!"  cried  Goujet  joyfully. 
"There  is  no  doubt  about  it;  they  are  safe.  But  we 
are  not,"  he  added  ruefully,  "and  I'm  hungry  enough 
to  eat  those  old  shoes. ' ' 

"What  of  that !"  said  Baillot ;  he  had  sprung  to  his 
feet  and  was  pacing  up  and  down  the  floor.  His  eyes 
shone  brilliantly,  his  face  was  flushed,  he  smiled  as  he 
looked  again  and  again  at  the  precious  bit  of  paper. 
"To  America!"  he  murmured.  "I  also  shall  go;  I 
shall  find  her!" 

"  Oh  yes  !  that  is  all  very  well,  but  have  you  wings, 
my  good  master  ?  I  doubt  not  that  the  lady  has  ;  she 
is  unquestionably  an  angel,  yet  if  we  don't  find  some- 
thing to  eat  before  long — But  stay,  did  you  read  what 
was  on  the  back  of  that  letter?" 

"No,"  said  Baillot,  pausing  an  instant  and  turning 
the  paper  over.  Carefully  flattening  it  out  in  his  hand, 
he  read,  "' Beware  of  the  convict.'  What  can  that 
mean  ?' ' 

"  The  very  charming  sound  that  we  heard  last  night 
on  the  terrace  was  probably  a  welcome  from  the  convict. 
380 


TOKENS 

Wonder  where  he  keeps  himself  daytimes?"  said  Gou- 
jet,  yawning  disconsolately.  "  I  am  sleepy,  master," 
he  continued,  "and  these  hammocks  look  very  comfort- 
able. If  a  man  cannot  eat,  he  can  always  sleep,  what 
do  you  say  ?' ' 

"Sleep  if  you  will,"  replied  Baillot,  glancing  about 
the  place,  "there  can  be  nothing  here  to  harm  us." 

"Beware  of  the  convict."  The  words  recurred  to 
his  mind  almost  as  though  a  living  voice  had  spoken 
them. 

"Perhaps  we  had  best  look  into  this  gallery  to  the 
left  first  and  see  whither  it  leads, ' '  he  added. 

"  But  we  have  no  torch,  master,  and  it  is  blacker  than 
the  pit  in  there,"  objected  Goujet. 

"  Very  well  then,  sleep  ;  I  cannot."  And  he  seated 
himself  in  the  great  oaken  chair  by  the  table. 

Goujet  threw  himself  into  one  of  the  hammocks  with- 
out further  ado  and  was  soon  sound  asleep.  The  regu- 
lar sound  of  his  heavy  breathing  together  with  the  gen- 
tle monotonous  tinkle  of  the  spring  as  it  fell  into  its 
rocky  basin  in  the  adjacent  passage,  blended  in  a  sooth- 
ing murmur  of  sound,  which  ascended  to  the  vaulted 
ceiling  and  fell  back  in  a  hundred  strange  airy  echoes. 
As  the  young  man  sat  motionless  in  his  chair,  he  could 
hear  the  low  thunder  of  the  surf  on  the  narrow  strip  of 
beach  below,  and  the  strident  shrilling  of  a  locust  in  the 
vine  whose  branches  drooped  over  the  narrow  windows. 
Now  and  then  a  bee,  gorgeous  in  his  panoply  of  gold 
and  bronze,  boomed  heavily  in,  then  seeing  his  mistake 
made  blind  frantic  dashes  for  liberty,  butting  his  head 
stupidly  against  the  stones  and  buzzing  angrily  at  his  own 
blundering  efforts.  Baillot  watched  these  struggles  with 
dreamy  intentness,  and  was  conscious  of  a  distinct  feel- 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ing  of  relief  each  time  one  of  these  bold  adventurers 
found  his  way  into  the  sunshine  again.  Then  his  thoughts 
wandered  back  into  the  past,  and  busied  themselves  with 
all  the  strange  things  that  had  befallen  him.  When 
in  his  musings  he  had  reached  the  present,  he  read 
the  precious  letter  once  more.  "She  has  not  for- 
gotten me,"  he  assured  himself  joyfully.  "She  knew 
that  I  would  come."  And  this  thought  was  perhaps 
more  precious  to  him  than  the  certainty  that  she  was 
safe.  He  held  it  up  before  his  mental  vision,  and  looked 
at  it  on  every  side,  as  one  looks  upon  a  jewel  of  price. 

"I  shall  find  her,"  he  murmured  aloud,  "and 
then — ' '  Ah,  what  a  fairy -land  of  joyful  possibilities 
opened  before  his  gaze !  Moment  by  moment  his 
thoughts  became  more  remote,  dazzling,  and  fantastic. 
His  head  sank  back ;  his  eyes  closed.  He  had  passed 
quite  through  the  boundary  land  into  the  realm  of  sleep. 
As  he  slept  he  continued  his  dream  of  happiness.  He 
thought  that  Madeline  herself  stood  before  him,  her  face 
sweet  and  smiling ;  she  bent  her  dark  eyes  upon  him 
with  a  look  full  of  joy  and  tenderness,  then  an  expression 
of  ghastly  fear  swept  across  her  face ;  she  raised  one 
hand  as  if  in  warning,  her  lips  forming  the  words,  "  Be- 
ware of  the  convict !" 

The  dreamer  started  to  his  feet  with  a  cry.  Not  three 
feet  away  crouched  the  figure  of  a  man,  his  naked  back, 
which  was  turned  toward  the  horrified  gazer,  of  a  livid 
color,  deeply  scarred,  seamed,  and  encrusted  with  blood 
as  if  from  a  recent  and  terrible  scourging.  This  grue- 
some apparition  moaned  dismally  as  it  frantically  tore 
and  scratched  with  its  long  talon -like  fingers  at  the 
stones  of  the  floor  which  were,  as  Baillot  observed  with 
a  thrill  of  horror,  darkly  discolored  as  if  with  blood. 
382 


TOKENS 

After  a  time  the  man  arose  and  stretching  his  skeleton 
arms  toward  heaven  with  a  long  wailing  cry  turned  as 
if  to  go  away.  As  he  did  so  his  eyes  fell  upon  Baillot, 
who  stood  frozen  in  his  place.  At  first  the  gaze  of  the 
red  eyeballs  was  wandering  and  vacant,  but  gradually 
there  grew  in  them  an  appalling  look  of  ferocity.  He 
took  a  single  step  forward,  clenching  and  unclenching 
his  enormous  hands ;  then  suddenly  with  a  gesture  of 
violent  repulsion  he  slunk  back,  shaking  his  shaggy  head 
from  side  to  side  with  a  low  bellow.  Step  by  step  he 
retreated  as  if  impelled  by  some  invisible  but  none  the 
less  potent  force,  till  he  had  reached  the  doorway  lead- 
ing to  the  dark  gallery ;  there  he  turned  and  darted 
away  with  a  long  howl  of  mingled  rage  and  despair. 

"Bon  dieu !  master,  what  is  that?"  cried  Goujet, 
starting  up  from  his  hammock.  "But  what  have  you 
seen,  that  you  look  like  that  ?' ' 

Baillot  regarded  his  questioner  dully.  ' '  I  have  seen, ' ' 
he  said,  slowly,  "what  a  man  may  become,  if  once  the 
beast  in  him  gets  uppermost.  There  is  no  more  fright- 
ful sight." 

"  You  have  seen —  ?' ' 

"The  convict." 

"And  he  is  mad?" 

"Mad — yes,  horrible!"  He  covered  his  face  with 
his  hands. 

"This  may  be  his  lair,"  said  Goujet,  looking  about 
him  uneasily.  "What  was  he  doing,  master?" 

"  He  was  scratching  at  yonder  spot  upon  the  floor," 
said  Baillot  with  a  quick  shudder.  "It  looks  like — 
blood." 

"It  does,"  admitted  Goujet.  "However — "  He 
stopped  short  and  looked  about  him  once  more.  "  We 
383 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

must  get  out  of  this  place  as  quickly  as  possible ;  it  is 
not  on  the  whole  a  good  place  in  which  to  sleep.  Have 
you  looked  out  of  the  windows  ?' ' 

"No,"  said  Baillot,  staring  gloomily  at  the  ominous 
stain.  " — Who  did  the  wretch  kill  here?" 

"  Now,  master,  don't  you  think  about  that ;  it  wasn't 
the  young  lady,  for  you  see  she  warned  you  of  the  con- 
vict, which  showed  plainly  enough  that  he'd  done 
something  or  other  not  quite  the  thing  ;  she  speaks  of 
dangers,  you  remember." 

"True,"  admitted  Baillot,  referring  once  more  to 
the  comforting  words  on  the  scrap  of  paper.  ' '  I  wish 
she  had  written  more. ' ' 

"  She  would  have  written  more  if  she  had  supposed 
that  you  would  ever  see  it,"  hazarded  Goujet,  with  an 
enlivening  grin,  as  he  swung  himself  up  to  one  of  the 
windows.  "Honf  he  exclaimed.  "  Our  messmates 
have  gone  !  But  diable !  there  is  the  yacht  making 
after  the  other!  We're  marooned,  master,  without  a 
mouthful  of  food  or  a  round  of  ammunition  !" 


CHAPTER   XLVI 

MAROONED 

THE  hapless  adventurers  sallied  forth  into  the  after- 
noon sunshine  in  silence ;  indeed  there  seemed  very 
little  to  be  said  concerning  their  present  dubious  pros- 
pects. In  the  orchard  after  much  searching  they  found 
a  few  oranges,  and  a  little  later  Goujet  discovered  a 
grape-vine  loaded  with  luscious  clusters. 

''This  is  all  very  well,"  he  said,  staring  about  him 
gloomily,  "  but  we  shall  be  having  some  sort  of  a  winter 
before  long.  What  are  we  going  to  do  then  ?' ' 

"Do?"  echoed  his  companion,  shrugging  his 
shoulders,  "we  shall  repair  one  of  the  huts  yonder. 
As  for  food,  the  sea  abounds  in  fish,  and  I  see  indica- 
tions that  the  barnyard  fowls  are  not  all  dead  ;  at  roost- 
ing-time  I  promise  you  that  you  shall  see  a  dozen  fat 
pullets  in  a  row. ' ' 

Goujet  pulled  another  cluster.  "A  roasted  chicken, 
and  some  of  these  grapes  properly  fermented  were  more 
to  my  taste,"  he  said  dismally.  "But  what  is  this? 
Sacre  bleu!  'tis  the  Portuguese,  de  Miguel;  they  have 
left  the  scoundrel  behind  with  a  whole  skin,  but  with 
an  empty  pocket,  I'll  warrant  me.  Now  if  I  had  only 
kept  those  pistoles — ' ' 

"Do  not  bring  that  unfortunate  occurrence  to  my 
mind,"  said  Baillot  sternly.  "I  care  not  who  has 
the  pistoles  so  long  as  they  are  not  in  my  posses- 
sion." 

25  335 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

Goujet  shmgged  his  shoulders.  "May  you  always 
remain  as  indifferent  to  money  as  you  are  now,  master ; 
which  is  equivalent  to  hoping  that  you  will  always 
have  plenty  of  it.  Hola  there!"  This  last  to  the 
Portuguese,  whose  squat  figure  had  approached  within 
hailing  distance. 

"  The  saints  be  praised  that  you  are  here,  honored 
seigniors  ! ' '  cried  de  Miguel,  hurrying  towards  them  as 
fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him.  "  I  feared  lest  some- 
thing might  have  befallen  you  ! ' ' 

"  Your  solicitude  does  you  credit,"  sneered  Goujet. 
"Something  did  happen  to  me  last  night;  some  infer- 
nal rascal  fired  a  pistol  at  me,  and  the  ball  hit  me  in  the 
shoulder. ' ' 

"Ah  !  seignior,  no  one  can  regret  that  little  circum- 
stance more  than  the  unfortunate  author  of  it, ' '  said  de 
Miguel,  rolling  up  his  eyes.  "  One  should  be  ready  to 
forgive  and  forget.  I  am,  I  assure  you.  My  spirit  is 
fiery — ah  !  like  the  new  wine  in  violence — but  under- 
neath is  the  tender  heart  that  forgives — ah  yes,  forgives 
and  forgets.  Now  that  we  are  all,  as  it  were,  united  in 
the  bonds  of  a  similar  misfortune,  it  is  not  right  to  cher- 
ish resentment.  I  appeal  to  you,  seignior,  have  I  not 
spoken  truly?" 

"  Unquestionably,  sir,"  said  Baillot  gravely,  to  whom 
these  last  words  were  addressed.  "  But  what  has  become 
of  the  sailor  ?' ' 

"Ah,  I  perceive  that  you  are  aware  of  the  sad  cir- 
cumstance that  removed  one  of  our  number  from  the 
island  last  evening — to  paradise,  let  us  hope,"  and  the 
speaker  paused,  apparently  to  shed  tears.  ' '  Our  friend 
here  is  a  good  shot,"  he  continued  with  a  ghastly  grim- 
ace,— "an  excellent  shot, while  the  sailor  unfortunately 
386 


MAROONED 

was  possessed  of  a  pistol  the  priming  of  which  should 
have  received  his  previous  attention.  Attention  to  de- 
tail, honored  seignior,  is  most  important,  is  it  not  so  ? 
It  actually  becomes  a  matter  of  life  and  death  with  us 
poor  frail  mortals.  Yes,  many  times  it  is  so. ' ' 

"You're  getting  a  little  mixed,  aren't  you  ?"  observed 
Goujet.  "These  pious  remarks  of  yours  should  have 
been  addressed  to  the  ghost  of  the  sailor — that  is  if 
ghosts  can  profit  by  such  excellent  advice.  But  speak- 
ing of  ghosts,  I  wonder  if  we  shall  be  favored  by  a  fur- 
ther exhibition  at  the  castle  to-night." 

De  Miguel  glanced  furtively  over  his  shoulder.  "The 
ruins?"  he  said,  lowering  his  voice.  "Ah,  yes,  a  most 
unpleasant  spot  and  very  unsafe — most  dangerous  indeed. 
We  will  surely  pass  the  night — ah — in  some  other  local- 
ity ?  The  surviving  sailor — you  were  asking  me,  noble 
seignior — he  was  carried  away  by  the  miscreants,  who 
also  seized  upon  my  vessel  and  my  pistoles.  Before 
heaven,  yes,  I  have  not  so  much  as  a  pistareen  in  the 
whole  earth  !  And  what  shall  I  do,  once  restored  to 
my  babes  again,  my  ten — " 

"  Don't  fret  yourself  about  that,"  broke  in  Goujet 
with  a  grim  laugh.  "  It  may  be  that  the  ten  will  be  all 
grown  up  and  your  wife  married  to  another  by  the  time 
you  get  back. ' ' 

"  But  the  pirates  will  return  !"  exclaimed  de  Miguel. 
"  I — I — offered  them  money  for  my  ransom.  The  brutes 
swore  that  the  three  hundred  pistoles  were  not  enough. 
Not  enough  ?  Holy  Mary  take  pity  on  me  !  I  was 
forced  to  make  an  order — for  what  do  you  think  ?  Two 
thousand  pistoles  !  My  babes  will  be  turned  naked  into 
the  streets  !  But  they  promised  to  return  and  fetch  me 
after  they  had  gotten  it.  They  said  also  this  ;  you  may 
387 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

yourselves  know  what  to  think  of  it,  '  The  rats  will  have 
dug  out  the  cheese  by  that  time. '  ' ' 

Goujet  swore  a  little  under  his  breath  ;  he  looked  at 
Baillot.  "  So  that  is  their  game  !" 

"So  be  it,"  said  Baillot  coolly.  "  The  rats  may  es- 
cape them  yet." 

"  They  left  me  absolutely  nothing  to  eat,"  groaned 
de  Miguel,  snuffling  dismally.  "  They  said  that  I  was  too 
fat,  that  it  would  profit  me  to  fast.  But  the  saints  may 
bear  me  witness  that  the  fat  on  the  outside  of  a  man's 
belly  never  yet  served  to  appease  the  pangs  that  torment 
it  within." 

"Eat  some  grapes,"  advised  Baillot  hospitably. 

"  But  fruit  will  not  suffice  for  the  pains  of  such  hun- 
ger as  mine,"  moaned  de  Miguel,  laying  his  hand  over 
the  pit  of  his  stomach  and  looking  beseechingly  at  the 
young  man.  "  Picture  to  yourself,  seignior,  I  had  not 
a  mouthful  of  dinner,  and  but  a  crust  such  as  one  would 
scorn  to  toss  to  a  dog  for  my  breakfast.  And  this  after 
the  wretches  had  stolen  my  pistoles,  and  were  at  the 
moment  making  merry  with  my  wine  and  provisions. — I 
say  mine  ;  you  remember,  seignior,  that  you  did  not  pay 
me  for  the  victualling  of  the  ship." 

"  I  have  not  forgotten  the  fact,"  said  Baillot  coldly. 

"That  hundred  and  fifty  pistoles  will  at  least  keep 
my  little  ones  from  starving,"  whined  de  Miguel,  hug- 
ging himself.  "  You  also  remember  that  it  was  the  sum 
of  one  hundred — " 

"You  forget  the  conditions  on  which  1  was  to  pay 
you  that  sum,"  interrupted  Baillot.  "You  were  to 
spare  me  the  infliction  of  your  conversation.  You  had 
little  enough  to  say  when  I  first  made  your  acquaint- 
ance." 

388 


MAROONED 

"  Shall  we  leave  you  to  your  repast?"  said  Goujet, 
addressing  the  Portuguese,  who  scowling  with  rage  at 
the  rebuff  which  he  had  received  was  gorging  himself 
with  the  ripe  grapes. 

"  Leave  me  ?  No,  no — I  beg  of  you,  it  will  soon  be 
dark  ;  see,  the  sun  is  already  setting.  I  will  accompany 
you  wherever  you  may  be  pleased  to  go. ' ' 

"We  think  of  spending  the  night  on  the  terrace  of 
the  chateau, ' '  said  Goujet.  ' '  We  slept  there  last  night ; 
we  heard  curious  sounds  it  is  true,  but  ghosts  seldom 
molest  an  honest  man. ' ' 

"The  terrace  of  the  castle!"  gasped  de  Miguel, 
choking  and  gurgling  over  a  half-swallowed  grape. 
"  But  no,  I  will  not  remain  there — " 

"Hold  your  tongue,  fellow,  and  come  along,"  said 
Baillot  impatiently.  "  I  am  going  to  examine  the  cot- 
tage." 

"  The  cottage  ?  Ah,  yes,  the  cottage  will  be — "  com- 
menced de  Miguel,  then  he  stopped  short. 

"You  evidently  know  this  place,"  said  Baillot,  look- 
ing at  him  keenly.  "I  should  be  pleased  to  learn  of 
its  purpose  and  of  those  who  once  lived  here. ' ' 

' '  The  seignior  forgets  that  he  has  offered  me  money 
to  be  silent, ' '  said  de  Miguel,  showing  his  yellow  teeth 
in  a  wicked  smile,  "one  hundred  and  fifty  pistoles  are 
not  to  be  so  lightly  hazarded.  Perhaps  the  seignior 
thinks  to  cheat  me  out  of  them,  by  cajoling  me  to  for- 
get the  conditions.  But  Jose  de  Miguel  knows  when  to 
speak  and  when  to — ' ' 

' '  Take  the  hundred  and  fifty  pistoles,  dog, ' '  cried 

Baillot  in  a  fury.      "  And  know  that  you  are  speaking 

to  the  Comte  de  Lantenac,  with  whose  name  dishonor 

cannot  be  coupled. ' '  And  flinging  his  purse  disdainfully 

389 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

toward   the   Portuguese,  the   young   man   strode  away 
without  so  much  as  turning  his  head. 

But  it  was  Goujet  who  caught  the  purse  as  it  fell. 

''Dare  to  mention  the  subject  of  money  again  in 
presence  of  my  master  and  I  will  throttle  you  as  I  would 
throttle  a  dog,"  he  hissed.  "  This  money  is  not  yours ; 
it  belongs  to  my  master ;  I  shall  keep  it  for  him,  for, 
heaven  save  him,  it  is  all  he  has  in  the  world." 

"Your  master,  as  you  call  him — eh?  the  Comte  de 
Lantenac,  has  a  curious  servant  !  An  avowed  pirate, 
ha,  h'a  !  For  himself,  he  is  an  escaped  convict ;  or  what 
is  the  same  thing,  an  escaped  Huguenot !  He  is  also  a 
dirty  beggar.  Aha  !  it  is  so  !  I  knew  it  all  the  time  ; 
and  what  now  if  I  shall — Help — Murder  !" 

"  No  !  I  will  not  kill  you  ;  you  may  be  useful  to  us," 
said  Goujet,  falling  back  a  pace  and  glaring  down  at  his 
victim,  who,  as  it  has  been  seen,  was  animated  by  a  cu- 
rious mixture  of  abject  cowardice  and  bold  insolence. 
"But  remember  what  I  have  said."  And  the  speaker 
turned  and  strode  rapidly  after  the  retreating  figure  of 
the  Comte  de  Lantenac. 

"  Malediction  !"  muttered  de  Miguel  with  a  murder- 
ous gleam  in  his  eyes.  ' '  I  shall  be  useful  to  you — yes  ! 
But  not  in  the  way  you  think.  The  saints  spare  me  and 
I  will  give  a  silver  statute  of  our  lady  to  the  shrine  at 
Terciora;  after  that  we  shall  see!"  And  he  hurried 
after  the  others. 

Goujet  found  that  his  master  had  paused  at  the  foot 
of  a  group  of  enormous  pine  trees,  and  that  he  was  ex- 
amining a  rope  ladder  which  extended  from  the  ground 
to  the  lower  branches  of  one  of  the  trees. 

"  There  is  something  above  ;  I  think  I  shall  go  up  and 
see  what  it  is,"  he  remarked  without  turning  his  head. 
390 


MAROONED 

"  I  will  go  first,"  said  Goujet.  "  I  say,  master,"  he 
shouted  presently,  "there's  a  capital  place  up  here. 
Come  up." 

Baillot  was  by  his  side  almost  before  the  last  words 
were  out  of  his  mouth.  "A  famous  retreat,  indeed  !" 
he  exclaimed,  looking  about.  "  If  I  am  not  mistaken 
this  is  some  of  Winters'  handiwork. ' ' 

"Cupboards!"  cried  Goujet,  "and,  morbleu,  here  is 
something  to  eat ! ' '  And  he  drew  forth  a  box  of  sea- 
biscuit,  none  the  worse  for  their  sojourn  in  this  airy 
storehouse.  "A  mighty  snug  place,"  he  continued, 
"  when  we  draw  up  the  rope-ladder." 

Meanwhile  de  Miguel  had  arrived  at  the  spot,  and 
puzzled  by  the  sudden  disappearance  of  his  two  com- 
panions began  to  call  their  names  aloud.  "  Seigniors, 
good  seigniors  !  Where  are  you  ?  Do  not  desert  a  poor, 
helpless  old  man  !" 

Goujet  looked  over  the  side  with  a  grin.  "  Let  him 
alone,"  he  said,  "the  old  fox." 

But  de  Miguel  had  caught  the  sound  of  his  voice.  He 
clasped  his  hands  and  stared  about  him.  "  Dear,  good, 
generous,  gracious  seigniors!"  he  bawled,  "do  not 
conceal  yourselves,  I  beg  of  you.  If  I  am  left  alone  in 
this  place  for  the  night,  I  shall  go  mad ;  I  know  I  shall 
go  mad.  May  the  saints  in  heaven  soften  your  hard 
hearts!" 

Baillot,  who  thought  the  matter  had  gone  quite  far 
enough,  called  out,  ' '  Come  up  the  rope-ladder,  fellow, 
and  cease  that  discordant  braying." 

"Ah,  good  seignior,  you  are  aloft?  Is  it  possible! 
But  why  ?  Will  you  not  descend  ?' ' 

"  Come  up,  I  tell  you  !"  repeated  Baillot. 

"But  it  is  impossible,  seignior — absolutely  impossi- 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ble  !     You  forget  my  weight — my  infirmities — my  weak- 
ness— my  old  age." 

"  Come  up  !     Come  up,  idiot !"  shouted  Goujet. 

"  I  cannot,  I  tell  you.  I  will  not.  What,  trust  my 
limbs  to  that  fabric  of  rope?  'Tis  monstrous  to  ask 
such  a  thing,  I  refuse  absolutely." 

"Very  well  then,  remain  where  you  are.  I  shall 
draw  up  the  ladder  presently  for  the  night. ' ' 

1 '  You  will  come  down,  good  seignior,  I  beg  of  you  ! 
You  will  not  leave  a  helpless  old  man  to  a  night  of 
terror  fit  to  turn  his  brain  ?' ' 

"The  devil  take  the  man  !"  cried  Goujet.  "What 
shall  we  do  with  him  ?  He  will  bellow  at  us  so  that  we 
cannot  sleep. ' ' 

"  I  will  go  down  and  try  to  persuade  him  to  ascend," 
said  Baillot.  One  madman  about  the  place  is  quite 
enough,  and  it  is  true  the  fellow's  wits  are  slender 
enough  already." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  grumbled  Goujet ;  "  but 
while  you  argue  the  case  with  our  interesting  compan- 
ion, I  will  return  to  the  cavern  and  fetch  some  fresh 
water,  and  also  bring  the  hammocks  along. ' ' 

"The  cavern?"  said  Baillot,  "I  had  best  go  along — " 

"  Peste  !  I  am  not  afraid  of  the  convict,  if  that  is 
what  you  mean.  I  shall  kill  the  brute  if  he  attacks  me. ' ' 

Accordingly  the  two  descended  the  ladder,  to  the 
great  joy  of  de  Miguel,  who  concluded  that  their  hearts 
had  been  touched  by  his  persuasive  eloquence. 

"  Heaven  will  reward  you  for  your  goodness,  seig- 
niors," he  blubbered.  "Though  I,  because  of  my 
poverty,  cannot.  Not  a  pistole — "  He  checked  him- 
self suddenly  and  glanced  apprehensively  over  his 
shoulder.  But  Goujet  had  already  departed. 
392 


CHAPTER  XLVII 

THE    KING    OF   THE    ISLAND 

BAILLOT  looked  after  the  retreating  figure  of  Goujet 
doubtfully.  "I  believe  I  ought  to  go  with  him,"  he 
said  aloud. 

"Where  is  he  going,  gracious  seignior?"  asked  de 
Miguel  amicably.  He  had  apparently  forgotten  his  re- 
sentment, or  if  not  forgotten  had  at  least  ticketed  and 
laid  it  away  for  future  use  as  occasion  might  serve.  As 
he  had  already  very  sensibly  and  piously  observed, 
4  the  present  was  no  time  for  anger ;  and  heaven  should 
bear  him  witness,  that  until  he  was  safe  he  would  live  in 
charity  with  all  men.' 

"  He  has  gone  to  the  cavern  for  water,"  replied  Bail- 
lot  shortly. 

"To  the  cavern!"  echoed  de  Miguel,  with  a  look 
full  of  astonishment.  ' '  And  where  might  that  be  ?  I 
know  of  no  cavern  on  the  island." 

"  If  you  choose  to  follow  you  will  see." 

De  Miguel  followed  without  further  remark,  but  at 
the  entrance  of  the  place  he  stopped  short,  saying  that 
he  preferred  to  wait  outside.  Goujet  was  nowhere  to 
be  seen,  and  Eaillot  strode  into  the  dark  gallery  with 
some  misgivings. 

"  Goujet !"  he  shouted  aloud.     There  was  no  reply. 

He  quickened  his  pace  to  a  run  and  soon  came  upon 

the  missing  man.    He  was  engaged  in  a  violent  struggle 

with   the   insane   convict.     Both  were  large  powerful 

393 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

men,  and  Baillot  who  had  started  forward  to  help  Gou- 
jet  found  himself  at  a  loss ;  the  two  had  fallen  upon 
the  floor,  and  were  writhing,  twisting  and  turning  so 
rapidly  that  it  was  impossible  to  strike  without  danger 
of  wounding  the  wrong  man.  The  breath  of  the 
wrestlers  came  in  quick  gasps,  while  from  time  to  time 
the  maniac  emitted  a  short  snapping  snarl  like  that  of  a 
rabid  wolf.  Goujet  at  length  succeeded  in  forcing  the 
half-naked  wretch  into  a  corner. 

"Quick,  master!"  he  shouted  breathlessly,  "the 
knife!" 

"  No,  bind  him  !"  cried  Baillot,  rushing  forward  with 
the  hammock  ropes. 

"Take  care,  master;  he'll  tear  you  if  he  gets  a 
chance  !"  yelled  Goujet,  " — the  knife  I  say  !" 

But  Baillot  had  already  passed  the  rope  firmly  about 
the  limbs  of  the  madman,  who  suddenly  yielded  with  a 
low  moan  and  fell  prostrate  to  the  floor. 

' '  Sacrl:  bleu  .'  master,  why  do  you  wish  the  beast  to 
live  ?' '  said  Goujet,  rising  to  his  feet  after  he  had  satis- 
fled  himself  that  the  maniac's  bonds  were  secure.  "  He 
would  have  killed  me  !  I  had  but  just  entered,  and  as 
I  saw  nothing  I  laid  my  knife  down  for  an  instant  to 
unknot  the  ropes  of  the  hammocks.  I  had  unfastened 
one  and  was  about  to  undo  the  other,  when — morbleu  .' 
— as  suddenly  as  the  lightning  from  heaven  this  wretch 
leapt  upon  me  from  behind  !  You  know  the  rest." 

Baillot  thoughtfully  eyed  the  convict,  who  was  now 
whimpering  and  moaning  like  a  child.  "Are  you 
much  hurt?"  he  asked,  turning  to  look  anxiously  at 
Goujet. 

"He  tore  me  like  a  tiger.  Ma  foi!  but  I  am  un- 
lucky of  late.  What  now  will  you  do  with  him  ?' ' 

394 


THE  KING  OF  THE  ISLAND 

"  I  wish  to  find  out  what  has  happened  in  this 
place, ' '  replied  Baillot,  glancing  with  a  shudder  at  the 
dark  stain  upon  the  floor. 

' '  And  do  you  suppose  that  he  can  tell  you  ?  He  has 
lost  the  power  of  speech  by  this  time  ! ' ' 

' '  No,  you  mistake,  listen  ! ' ' 

The  maniac  was  chattering  to  himself  in  a  low  inco- 
herent murmur,  rolling  his  head  rapidly  from  side  to 
side  as  he  did  so. 

"The  king  of  the  island — "  were  the  words  that 
Baillot  caught — "  the  king — but  she  shall  be  queen,  ay, 
queen — queen.  And  mine  !  When  they  are  all  dead 
she  will  love  me  and  follow  me,  but  I  shall  kill  her  also 
at  my  pleasure.  She  scorns  me  and  hates  me  now,  but 
I  can  wait !" 

"Who  are  you  talking  about?"  demanded  Baillot  in 
a  suffocated  voice. 

The  madman  paid  no  heed.  "  She  is  dead  already — 
ay,  dead,  and  buried.  The  shadows  dance  every  night 
on  her  grave. — The  blood — 'tis  accursed  ;  I  cannot  rub 
it  out.  They  have  left  me  alone  with  the  shadows. 
Her  shadow  smiles  at  me,  but  I  cannot  seize  it,  it  flits — 
flits  away.  If  I  scourge  myself  for  a  thousand  nights 
she  will  come  and  fetch  me  away  from  this  place ;  she 
has  promised,  and  then  this  fire  will  be  taken  «ut  of 
my  head.  The  fire — "  And  he  broke  off  into  one 
of  the  long  indescribable  howls  which  had  terrified  the 
crew  of  the  yacht  on  the  night  of  their  arrival  at  the 
island. 

"Great  heavens,  master,  come!  We  shall  both  be 
mad  if  we  stay  here  and  listen  much  longer." 

"You  have  heard?"  said  Baillot,  as  they  issued  into 
the  open  air.     "  She  is  dead." 
395 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

His  air  of  conviction  was  so  strong,  and  his  face  so 
ghastly  that  Goujet  despaired  of  comforting  him,  but  he 
said  stoutly  enough,  "The  wretch  is  possessed  of  the 
devil,  and  knows  not  what  he  says  ;  surely  you  would  not 
allow  such  nonsense  to  disturb  you?" 

Baillot  made  no  reply. 

They  had  quite  forgotten  de  Miguel,  and  Goujet 
started  back  with  a  cry  of  alarm  as  he  stumbled  over 
the  squat  figure,  huddled  together  in  a  trembling  heap 
a  few  paces  from  the  entrance  to  the  gallery. 

' '  Those  frightful  sounds, ' '  gasped  the  Portuguese, 
"  holy  St.  Michael !  what  are  they?" 

"A  gentleman,"  began  Goujet,  "who  is  pleased  to 
call  himself  the  king  of — Morbleu  !  man,  what  do  you 
mean  by  grabbing  at  me  like  that?" 

"  He  is  dead  then,  and  you  have  seen  his  spirit?" 

"Dead?  No,  I  wish  he  was;  however  cursedly  un- 
pleasant ghosts  may  be,  they  at  least  don' t  bite  and  tear 
one  like  a  mad  dog. ' ' 

"  What  then  have  you  seen  ?  For  the  love  of  heaven, 
seignior,  tell  me?"  implored  the  Portuguese,  wiping  the 
great  drops  from  his  forehead,  and  looking  fearfully  over 
his  shoulder. 

"  A  madman — a  mad  convict,  who  has  come  to  this 
place  in  some  way  as  mysterious  as  is  the  place  itself. ' ' 

"A  convict — ah  !"  cried  de  Miguel  in  a  tone  of  great 
relief. 

Nothing  further  was  said,  and  presently  all  three  ar- 
rived once  more  at  the  foot  of  the  great  trees.  At  the 
sight  of  Baillot  half-way  up  the  rope-ladder,  the  Portu- 
guese broke  out  afresh  into  a  torrent  of  expostulations 
and  reproaches,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  was  interrupted 
by  Goujet,  who  informed  him  quietly  that  he,  Goujet, 
396 


THE  KING  OF  THE  ISLAND 

would  take  the  greatest  pleasure  in  life  in  blowing  out 
his  rascally  brains  if  he  did  not  immediately  get  him- 
self up  the  ladder.  "  You  need  not  call  upon  my  mas- 
ter," he  added,  "for  the  poor  gentleman  is  half-mad 
with  grief  at  something  the  convict — may  the  foul  fiend 
fly  away  with  him — said  in  his  ravings. ' ' 

"And  what  did  he  say?"  questioned  de  Miguel 
eagerly. 

"  He  intimated  that  he  had  put  an  end  to  the  young 
lady,  who  in  company  with  my  master  was  shipwrecked 
on  this  island,"  replied  Goujet,  hoping  that  if  the  Por- 
tuguese knew  anything  to  the  contrary  he  would  betray 
his  knowledge. 

De  Miguel,  however,  suddenly  turned  his  attention  to 
the  rope-ladder,  and  with  better  courage  than  might 
have  been  expected,  soon  gained  the  top. 

"  Eh  !"  he  was  saying  to  himself  cheerfully,  "  and  so 
do  the  saints  reward  the  virtuous  and  punish  the  guilty. 
My  fine  haughty  young  Huguenot  is  plunged  into  mourn- 
ing because  of  the  ravings  of  a  mad  convict.  It  is  good  ; 
he  will  perchance  be  more  civil.  What  now  would  he 
give,  I  wonder,  for  the  secret  old  Jose  has  locked  up  in 
his  breast  ?  But  he  has  no  money  ;  I  know  that — be- 
yond the  pittance  which  that  rascally  pirate  has  in  his 
possession,  and  which  shall  yet  be  mine.  The  grand 
seignior  does  not  wish  my  conversation  ?  He  shall  not 
have  it."  And  with  such  pleasant  and  benevolent 
thoughts  did  the  worthy  gentleman  comfort  himself  as 
he  climbed  the  swaying  ladder  into  the  dizzy  heights 
aloft,  where  he  presently  fell  asleep,  with  a  smile  upon 
his  lips  like  a  fat,  elderly  and  altogether  disreputable 
cherub. 

The  next  morning  he  ventured  to  condole  wkh  Bail- 
397 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

lot  upon  the  probable  loss  which  he  had  sustained.  "  I 
feel  for  you,  noble  seignior,  I  do  indeed, ' '  he  murmured, 
rolling  up  his  little  eyes  till  only  the  very  yellow  whites 
of  them  were  visible.  "To  lose  a  loved  one,  and  in 
such  a  horrible  and  heart-rending  manner  ;  a  beautiful 
young  creature,  your  faithful  friend — or  perhaps  I  should 
say  servant — tells  me.  To  be  torn  in  pieces  by  a 
mad—" 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  demanded Baillot,  facing 
him  suddenly.  "How  dare  you!"  Then  he  turned 
away  with  a  choking  sound  in  his  throat. 

De  Miguel  rubbed  his  hands  and  smiled. 

"  Why  did  you  speak  to  that  beast  about — about  what 
we  heard  in  the  cavern?"  asked  Baillot  of  Goujet  later 
in  the  day. 

"I  told  him  because  I  thought  that  he  knew  some- 
thing to  the  contrary,"  replied  Goujet.  "  It  cannot  be 
true,  master.  It  is  too  horrible  ;  the  man  only  raved — 
as  he  had  doubtless  always  spoken — lies. ' ' 

"  Don't  speak  to  me  of  the  matter  again,  if  you  love 
me,"  said  Baillot,  turning  away.  "  But  I  had  forgotten, 
we  left  the — the  man  bound.  Something  must  be  done, 
to  leave  him  thus  would  be  inhuman. ' ' 

"  I  will  attend  to  the  matter,"  said  Goujet  gruffly. 
And  he  strode  away  fully  resolved  to  put  the  maniac  to 
death  before  he  should  have  opportunity  to  do  further 
mischief.  But  when  he  arrived  at  the  cavern  he  found 
it  empty.  Nor  was  the  convict  ever  again  seen  by  any 
of  them  during  their  sojourn  on  the  island.  He  had 
disappeared,  perhaps  led  by  his  mad  fancies  over  the 
cliff  into  the  sea. 

As  the  weeks  passed  on,  it  became  necessary  to  make 
some  preparations  for  the  approaching  winter.  The 

398 


THE  KING  OF  THE  ISLAND 

autumnal  gales  had  already  begun  to  blow,  and  sullen 
mists  brooded  over  the  island  for  days  at  a  time.  The 
deciduous  trees  and  shrubs  dropped  their  foliage,  and 
yellow  fields  and  sodden  woods  afforded  but  a  scant  sus- 
tenance for  three  hungry  men. 

"We  must  bestir  ourselves,"  declared  Goujet,  "if 
we  wish  to  find  ourselves  alive  in  the  spring.  And, 
morbleu  !  master,  you  at  least  are  young,  and  life  has 
much  that  is  good  in  it  still.  Once  away  from  this  ac- 
cursed spot  you  will  forget. ' ' 

But  Baillot  only  shook  his  head.  He  was  as  fully 
convinced  as  are  most  young  persons  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances that  on  no  one  had  ever  fallen  such  a  sor- 
row ;  that  no  other  man  in  the  history  of  the  world  had 
ever  loved  with  such  intensity  as  he  had  loved,  and  that 
it  was  therefore  little  short  of  impertinence  for  anyone 
to  suggest  the  possibility  of  future  happiness.  Happi- 
ness, he  assured  himself  gloomily,  had  forever  fled ;  he 
would  gladly  die  and  be  buried  in  this  spot,  where,  he 
was  firmly  convinced,  reposed  the  remains  of  his  be- 
loved Madeline. 

As  for  the  third  person  in  this  strangely  assorted  trio, 
de  Miguel — he  spent  his  time  in  alternately  gloating 
over  the  evident  wretchedness  of  the  young  Huguenot, 
whom  he  hated  with  all  the  intensity  of  his  little  soul, 
and  in  bewailing  the  perfidy  of  the  pirates,  who  had 
broken  their  word  in  not  returning  to  fetch  him  as  they 
had  promised. 

"Holy  heaven!"  he  would  cry,  "did  not  that 
monster — what  you  call  him  ?  Lock  ?  Yes,  Lock — did 
he  not  swear  by  the  heart  of  his  mother,  by  the  soul  of 
his  father,  and  by  everything  he  held  sacred  in  heaven 
or  on  earth  that  having  once  obtained  the  two  thousand 
399 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

pistoles  he  would  return  and  fetch  me  ?  And  now  he 
has  the  pistoles  and  I  am  left  to  perish.  Ah — maledic- 
tion !  I  could  tear  his  eyes  out !" 

"  I  don't  doubt,"  says  Goujet  with  a  grin,  "  that  he 
made  the  order  to  read  ten  thousand  instead  of  two ; 
there's  nothing  easier,  you  know." 

"Ten  thousand!  Ten — thousand — pistoles!  Oh, 
seignior,  you  don't  think  such  a  thing  could  be? — Not 
that  I  have  such  a  sum ;  God  knows  that  I  am  a  poor 
man — yes  wretchedly  poor,  but  such  perfidy. ' ' 

"Ten  thousand  pistoles  is  a  pretty  sum,"  pursued 
Goujet  relentlessly.  "And  Lock  is  not  a  bad-looking 
fellow  ;  rather  than  part  with  such  a  sum  your  wife  may 
have  concluded  to  console  herself  for  your  absence. 
Lock  will  make  a  capital  father  for  the  ten — no  it  must 
be  eleven  by  this  time." 

De  Miguel  could  only  groan  and  tear  at  his  greasy 
locks.  ' '  The  man  is  welcome  to  Marthe, ' '  he  would 
say,  ' '  I  care  not  a  fig  for  the  woman  ;  and  as  for  the 
ten ;  pah,  children  are  easily  found.  But  ten — thousand 
— pistoles  !  there  is  another  matter  now,  and  I  an  old 
man.  Oh,  oh  !  Malediction!"  Then  he  would  sink 
upon  his  knees  and  tell  his  beads  over  and  over  with 
fervor,  while  the  vows  of  candles,  silver  statues,  and 
other  votive  offerings  mounted  up  steadily  day  by 
day. 

But  notwithstanding  the  mental  gloom  and  anxiety 
which  oppressed  two  of  the  little  party,  all  joined 
heartily  in  the  work  of  preparing  for  the  months  of 
loneliness  and  isolation  which  lay  before  them.  The 
smaller  of  the  three  cottages  was  provided  with  a  roof 
from  the  ruins  of  its  neighbor,  which  had  chanced  to 
partly  escape  the  flames ;  its  chimney  was  rebuilt,  and 
400 


THE  KING  OF  THE  ISLAND 

a  semblance  of  comfort  given  its  smoke -blackened 
and  charred  interior  by  the  fragments  of  rich  tapestry 
which  the  adventurers  fetched  from  the  ruins  of  the 
chateau.  From  the  same  source  came  two  or  three 
chairs,  a  table,  and  even  a  bed,  which  was  ceded  by  the 
others  to  Baillot  in  tacit  acknowledgment  of  his  higher 
rank. 

The  young  count  seemed  to  derive  a  gloomy  pleasure 
from  delving  amid  the  piles  of  rubbish  about  the  ruins. 
And  both  Goujet  and  the  Portuguese  frequently  accom- 
panied him  in  these  expeditions.  De  Miguel,  indeed, 
after  awhile  developed  almost  a  mania  for  this  employ- 
ment, and  could  hardly  be  dragged  away  from  it  even 
to  assist  Goujet  in  the  necessary  labors  of  fishing,  cut- 
ting fuel  for  their  fire,  and  carrying  water  from  the 
spring. 

The  reason  for  this  infatuation  became  apparent  to 
Goujet  when  one  day  he  came  upon  the  Portuguese  at 
work  with  his  pick.  "Anything  new?"  he  inquired 
cheerfully.  "  If  you  could  find  an  iron  pot  it  would  be 
a  blessing. ' ' 

At  the  sound  of  his  voice  de  Miguel  dropped  his  pick, 
and  hastily  snatching  up  something  from  the  ground 
thrust  it  into  his  pocket.  The  action  did  not  escape 
the  keen  eye  of  Goujet. 

"What  have  you  there?"  he  demanded;  "fetch  it 
out." 

"Nothing — nothing  at  all,  I  swear  it,"  said  de 
Miguel,  turning  pale. 

"  You  are  lying.  Show  it  to  me  and  I  won't  take  it 
from  you.  Out  with  it,  or  I  will  see  it  anyhow,  and  it 
will  not  go  back  into  your  pocket  after  that,  I  can  tell 
you." 

26  401 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 


Thus  urged,  de  Miguel  produced  what  looked  at  first 
sight  like  a  shapeless  mass  of  lead.  ' '  Silver ! "  he 
whispered.  "There  must  be  heaps  of  it  in  the  ruins, 
and  I  am  a  poor  man  now. ' ' 


402 


CHAPTER  XLVIII 

SHADOWS 

GOUJET  looked  at  the  molten  mass  thoughtfully,  then 
he  handed  it  back  to  de  Miguel.  "  Candlesticks,  I 
should  say,"  he  commented  briefly.  "But  why  did 
they  burn  a  place  like  this  without  removing  the  valu- 
ables?" 

The  Portuguese  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  muttered 
something  about  lightning  and  earthquake. 

"  Who  did  the  place  belong  to?" 

"  How  should  I  know?" 

"  You're  lying  again  ;  you  do  know." 

' '  As  you  will,  seignior.  It  is  true  that  I  could  make 
you  a  great  tale  about  the  place,  but  what  would  it  pro- 
fit ?  Whatever  Jos6  de  Miguel  says,  you  have  one  an- 
swer to  make,  you  are  lying.  Is  that  the  way  to  speak 
to  a  man  of  noble  blood,  I  ask  you  ?' ' 

Goujet  laughed  uproariously  at  this. 

"  Laugh  if  you  will,  but  later,  we  shall  see  !  It  will 
be  my  turn  then."  And  de  Miguel  with  a  scowl  turned 
to  his  digging  again. 

Goujet  presently  sauntered  over  to  the  spot  where  the 
young  Comte  de  Lantenac  was  rambling  about,  stooping 
now  and  again  to  examine  some  fragment  of  torn  canvas 
or  bit  of  broken  carving  with  a  melancholy  interest. 
The  cold  wind  shrilled  dismally  through  the  ruined 
arches  above  their  heads,  and  from  the  lowering  clouds 
there  fell  an  occasional  dash  of  rain. 
403 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Ugh,  master!  this  is  a  dismal  place,"  observed 
Goujet  with  a  shiver.  "  Come,  let  us  leave  yonder  mole 
to  grub  for  his  treasure,  while  we  seek  the  shelter  of  the 
cottage,  where  I  have  a  glorious  bright  fire. ' ' 

"  This  place  accords  better  with  my  temper  than  the 
cheerfulest  fireside,"  said  Baillot  gloomily.  "But  I 
have  found  something  to-day  which  I  would  fain  examine 
at  my  leisure,  so  I  will  go." 

De  Miguel  dropped  his  pick  with  a  muttered  curse 
and  scuttled  after  them.  He  was  afraid  to  be  left  alone, 
though  he  grudged  every  moment  spared  from  his  self- 
imposed  task  of  examining  the  ruin. 

"What  is  it  that  you  have  found,  master?"  asked 
Goujet  as  they  walked  along  toward  the  hut. 

"  Nothing  of  value,"  replied  the  young  man.  "  It 
seems  to  be  a  record  or  diary  kept  by  some  former  in- 
habitant of  the  place.  It  is  much  injured  by  damp  and 
mould,  besides  being  partly  burned,  but  the  fragments 
of  it  may  throw  some  light  on  the  mystery  of  this  strange 
place. ' ' 

"What  is  this  that  you  say,  seignior?"  asked  de  Mi- 
guel eagerly,  joining  them  at  this  point  in  the  conver- 
sation. 

"  I  have  found  an  old  manuscript  of  some  sort,"  re- 
plied Baillot  shortly.  It  was  impossible  for  him  to  dis- 
guise the  dislike  which  he  felt  for  de  Miguel,  though  he 
always  treated  him  with  forbearance  and  even  kindness, 
considering  himself  responsible  in  a  measure  for  the  un- 
deniable misfortunes  which  had  befallen  the  man. 

"May  I  look  at  it,  noble  seignior?"  asked  de  Miguel 
politely  enough. 

"You  may,  certainly,  when  we  shall  have  arrived  at 
the  cottage.  It  is  raining  quite  too  fast  for  further 
404 


SHADOWS 

comfort  out  of  doors,"  said  Baillot,  quickening  his 
steps. 

Their  frugal  supper  over  and  a  couple  of  the  resinous 
torches — of  which  Goujet  had  laid  in  a  store  for  use  in 
the  long  dismal  evenings — lighted,  the  young  count  pro- 
duced his  find ;  he  had  wrapped  it  in  his  cloak  for 
greater  protection  against  the  damp. 

"I  have  your  permission  to  examine  this  writing, 
noble  seignior, ' '  said  de  Miguel,  reaching  out  his  hand 
confidently. 

"  I  have  not  yet  had  opportunity  to  examine  it  my- 
self," returned  Baillot. 

It  was,  as  he  had  seen  on  his  first  casual  examination 
of  it,  a  manuscript,  written  on  yellowish  paper,  and 
bound  between  heavy  covers  of  leather,  richly  stamped 
and  gilded.  These  covers  were  now  sadly  warped  and 
shrunken,  and  the  pages  within  scorched  and  charred  at 
their  edges,  while  damp  and  mildew  had  almost  obliter- 
ated the  characters  upon  many  of  them.  Here  and  there 
a  page  could  be  deciphered  with  tolerable  ease.  The 
young  Huguenot  turned  over  the  leaves  for  a  long  time 
in  silence,  while  de  Miguel  watched  his  face  with  eager 
attention. 

"  What  is  it  all  about,  master,  if  I  may  make  so  bold 
as  to  ask?"  inquired  Goujet  with  a  yawn. 

' '  I  will  read  a  little  from  it,  if  you  would  like  to 
hear,"  replied  Baillot. 

"  I  should  like  nothing  better." 

De  Miguel  said  nothing,  but  his  black  eyes  gleamed 
with  anxiety. 

"It  is,  as  I  have  said,  a  sort  of  diary  or  journal," 
said  Baillot  slowly,  "and  seems,  at  least  in  its  earlier 
portions,  to  have  been  written  by  a  child,  or  by  one 
405 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

little  used  to  expressing  himself  in  writing.  The  dates 
have  all  been  destroyed,  since  the  upper  edge  of  the 
volume  appears  to  have  suffered  more  from  the  fire  than 
other  portions  of  it." 

"  ' — a  pretty  book,  and  a  large.  I  may  have  it,  I 
have  asked  leave  of  monsieur,  my  father.  I  mean  to 
write  all  that  I  see  and  do  in  it ;  it  will  then  be  a  his- 
tory such  as  I  have  seen  of  those  who  have  now  disap- 
peared from  the  earth.  I  do  many  things  each  day.  I 
study  and  learn  my  tasks  which  I  recite  to  monsieur,  my 
father,  in  the  library.  My  mother  is  very  sad,  often  I 
find  her  in  tears  when  I  have  done  reciting.  I  say  to 
her,  What,  are  you  not  pleased  that  I  so  well  know  my 
Latin  verses  ?  But  she  only  weeps  the  more,  then  my 
father  falls  into  a  great  rage  and  stamps  his  foot,  and 
tells  her  that  she  is  no  better  than  a  baby  and  that  she 
may  take  her  tears  and  herself  away.  For  myself  I 
know  not  why  she  weeps.  My  father  is  not  often  un- 
kind to  her,  and  she  possesses  many  wonderful  and 
beautiful  gowns,  jewels,  and  trinkets.  Sometimes  I 
have  said  this  to  her,  and  she  tells  me  that  I  am  but  a 
child ;  that  I  do  not  understand,  and  that  I  will  drive 
her  mad  with  my  talk.  Why — ' 

"But  here,"  said  Baillot,  "I  come  upon  a  page 
which  is  entirely  obliterated.  On  the  next  page  I  can 
read  but  a  sentence  or  two  ;  here  is  one  ' — tells  me  that 
this  is  impossible,  and  was  so  stern  when  he  said  it  that 
I  was  frightened.  I  am  beginning  to  think — ' 

"Further  down  the  page  occurs  this,  'A  most  beau- 
tiful suite  of  rooms  has  been  furnished  for  me.  My 
father  says  that  I  am  older  now,  and  that  I  can  no 
longer  occupy  the  little  room  next  my  mother.  I  do 
not  know  whether  I  am  glad  or  sorry.  My  mother 
406 


SHADOWS 

wept  again  and  embraced  me,  and  called  me  her  poor 
child ;  at  which  father  again  rebuked  her  severely. 
I  am  making  much  progress  in  all  of  my  studies,  and 
have,  besides,  plenty  of  time  for  recreation.  I  am  not 
permitted  to  go  abroad  alone,  which  I  much  regret, 
as  I  should  dearly  love  to  play  with  the  gardener's 
children.  I  asked  my  mother  if  I  might  have  Pierre, 
the  gardener's  oldest  son  to  play  with  me  at  the  cha- 
teau ;  she  consented  and  was  about  to  send  for  him ; 
but  my  father,  coming  in  at  that  moment  and  hearing 
of  the  matter,  forbade  it.  What  are  you  thinking  of, 
madame,  he  said ;  you  assuredly  forget  yourself?  But 
my  mother  answered — very  sadly,  I  thought — No,  I  do 
not  forget ;  how  can  I  ?  I  only  thought — ' 

"  'You  only  thought — you  only  thought !  thundered 
my  father.  You  are  always  thinking,  and  things  that 
you  ought  not.  And  with  that  he  took  her  by  the  arm 
and  led  her  out  of  the  room.  I  could  hear  her  sob- 
bing in  the  next  room.'  ' 

The  reader  paused  and  turned  over  another  page ; 
then  coming  to  a  place  where  several  leaves  were  fast- 
ened together  by  the  damp,  he  carefully  loosened 
them,  but  shook  his  head  as  he  glanced  them  over. 
"There  is  nothing  here  which  is  legible,"  he  said 
thoughtfully. 

"Malediction  !  this  is  of  no  interest  at  all,"  broke 
out  de  Miguel  loudly,  " — the  tattle  of  a  brainless  lad, 
who  should  have  been  in  better  business.  You  will  read 
no  more  of  it,  seignior. ' ' 

Baillot  looked  up  in  surprise  ;  the  man's  swarthy  face 

was  quite  flushed — but  that  might  be  the  effect  of  the 

fire,  which  was  roaring  merrily  up  the  great  chimney  ; 

his  fingers  were  twisting  themselves  uneasily,  and  he  had 

407 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

the  appearance  of  a  man  who  with  great  difficulty  con- 
trols himself. 

"You  will  now  graciously  permit  me  to  examine  the 
book  for  myself,"  he  continued.  The  last  words 
were  sufficiently  courteous,  but  the  look  with  which  he 
laid  hold  of  the  book  was  both  threatening  and  inso- 
lent. 

Baillot  quietly  withdrew  the  volume  from  his  grasp. 
' '  You  do  not,  for  some  reason,  wish  to  hear  more  of 
what  is  written  here,"  he  said,  "or  possibly  you  do 
not  wish  me  to  read  it.  If  the  first  reason  be  true  you 
are  at  liberty  to  retire  to  your  hammock,  but  I  beg  that 
you  will  not  so  forget  yourself  in  the  future  as  to  lay 
hands  upon  something  which  is  quite  as  much  my  prop- 
erty as  are  those  trinkets,  which  you  so  diligently  search 
for  at  every  opportunity,  yours. ' ' 

At  this  reference  to  his  newly-gotten  treasures  de 
Miguel  turned  pale.  He  mumbled  some  inarticulate 
words,  then  arose  and  threw  himself  into  his  ham- 
mock. 

"  Go  on,  master,  if  you  will,"  said  Goujet,  who  was 
busily  engaged  in  carving  spoons,  forks,  and  other 
homely  utensils  for  use  in  their  modest  menage.  "I 
think  the  lad's  journal  is  likely  to  throw  some  light  on 
this  place  ;  and,  morbleu  !  as  long  as  we  are  here  there 
is  nothing  else  to  think  about. ' ' 

"  Where  next  I  am  able  to  decipher  the  writing,"  ob- 
served Baillot,  who  seemed  deeply  interested  in  his  dis- 
covery, ' '  the  writer  has  apparently  grown  older  and 
wiser,  also  more  impatient  with  his  quiet  life.  It  be- 
gins thus,  '  I  should  like  to  have  been  born  a  Greek,  or 
a  Roman,  though  they  are  now  all  dead  and  gone — mon- 
sieur, my  father,  tells  me — and  their  cities  in  ruins.  I 
408 


SHADOWS 

can  think  of  nothing  more  splendid  than  to  be  such  a 
man  as  Julius  Caesar,  leading  forth  great  armies,  and 
compelling  savage  nations  to  submit  to  his  rule.  I 
should  like  to  see  Rome  as  it  was  then  ;  father  says  that 
too  is  completely  destroyed.  I  mean  shortly  to  get 
away  from  this  place  and  see  for  myself.  Even  if  father 
and  mother  have  some  secret  which  chains  them  down 
to  this  miserable  island,  I  see  no  reason  why  I  should 
stay  here  forever.  When  I  was  a  child  I  was  told  that 
there  was  no  other  place  where  men  could  exist ;  but 
although  I  have  said  nothing  I  have  concluded  that  this 
is  not  true,  for  where  do  all  the  things  come  from  which 
appear  from  time  to  time  for  our  use  here,  the  satins, 
velvets,  laces,  and  jewels  which  I  wear,  and  which  my 
mother  wears — though  she  does  not  care  for  them,  and 
weeps  more  than  ever,  so  much  indeed  that  her  eyes  are 
red  all  the  time.  It  is  quite  spoiling  her  beauty.  I  told 
her  this  the  other  day  and  she  stopped  crying  at  once. ' 

"  'What  do  you  know  of  beauty  ?  She  asked  with  a 
strange  look.  Have  I  not  read  of  Helen  of  Troy,  I 
made  answer,  and  of  how  the  warriors  and  kings  fought 
for  her  ?  If  I  had  lived  in  those  days  I  should  also 
have  fought  and  I  should  have  conquered.  One  should 
have  seen  how  my  mother  looked  when  I  said  this ;  but 
she  answered  quietly  enough,  Do  not  speak  of  these 
things  before  your  father,  he  will  be  ill-pleased.' 

"  '  I  am  at  present  learning  a  new  art,  that  of  paint- 
ing. I  like  it  exceedingly.  It  is  most  wonderful  how 
one  can  imitate  such  a  thing  as  the  bloom  on  a  peach, 
or  the  dashing  foam  of  the  sea  with  a  few  pigments, 
composed,  I  find,  for  the  most  part  of  earths.  I  am  so 
infatuated  with  this  new  employment  that  I  care  for 
nothing  else.  Father  looks  very  gloomy  and  sad,  what- 
409 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ever  I  do.  And  my  mother  is  not  more  cheerful  than 
usual.'  " 

"Poor  lad,"  observed  Goujet,  "whatever  crimes 
his  parents  may  have  been  guilty  of,  he  seems  inno- 
cent enough." 

"From  this  point  I  can  make  nothing  of  what  fol- 
lows for  fully  a  third  of  the  volume, ' '  said  Baillot ; 
' '  the  writing  begins  to  be  legible  again  with  these 
words  '  — plan  ;  I  mean  to  bribe  one  of  these  men  to 
take  me  away.  I  am  heartily  weary  of  this  place  and 
of  my  life  here.  I  have  learned  enough  to  be  sure  that 
it  is  unnatural,  and  that  there  is  a  world  of  men  and 
women  beyond  this  hateful  rim  of  ocean.  Into  this 
world  I  am  determined  to  make  my  way  at  whatever 
cost.  I  said  something  of  the  sort  to  my  mother  yes- 
terday evening  while  we  were  walking  on  the  terrace ; 
we  had  been  looking  at  the  roses  which  are  just  in  their 
glory  and  of  which  she  is  extravagantly  fond.  She  had 
seemed  almost  happy  as  we  walked  up  and  down,  she 
leaning  upon  my  arm.  What  I  said  to  her  was  this.  I 
am  not  happy  here,  madame  ;  what  can  a  strong  young 
man,  like  me,  do  in  a  place  like  this  ?  Why  do  we 
stay  here?  For  my  part  I  should  rather  be  a  bare- 
legged fisher  boy,  or  one  of  the  men  who  come  here 
from  time  to  time  on  the  little  black  lugger. ' 

"  '  At  this  she  started  violently ;  What  do  you  know 
of  the  lugger  ?  she  asked  in  a  strange  voice. ' 

"  '  I  know  more  than  you  think,  I  answered  with  a 
laugh.  What  would  you  say  if  I  should  slip  away  some 
fine  day  to  try  my  fortune  in  the  world  ?  She  turned 
pale,  and  would,  I  believe,  have  fallen  but  that  I  passed 
one  arm  about  her  and  held  her  up.' 

"  '  Do  you  love  me  at  all  ?  she  finally  gasped,  look- 
410 


SHADOWS 

ing  at  me  with  her  great  frightened  eyes.  Assuredly  I 
do,  dearest  mother,  I  answered.  You  do  not  doubt  it  ?' 

"  'No,  no,  child,  she  said,  but  I  solemnly  tell  you 
that  if  you  attempt  to  do  what  you  have  said  that  it  will 
be  my  death.  Promise — -promise  that  you  will  not  at- 
tempt it !  And  she  actually  sank  down  upon  her  knees 
before  me,  and  kissed  my  hands  as  she  begged  and 
prayed  and  wept. ' 

"  '  I  think  I  should  have  promised  her,  though  I 
should  have  been  sorely  grieved  to  do  so,  but  at  that 
moment  my  father  stepped  from  the  window,  and  upon 
seeing  him,  my  mother  sprang  to  her  feet  quite  fright- 
ened ;  luckily  he  did  not  observe  her  attitude.  He  had 
come  to  bring  us  some  very  strange  news.  The  senes- 
chal of  the  castle  has  disappeared  from  our  midst.  It  is 
most  strange  and  unaccountable.  Both  my  father  and 
madame,  my  mother,  seemed  very  much  frightened  and 
disturbed  by  this  intelligence." 

"'I  do  not  see  why  you  should  care,  I  said  very 
coolly  ;  he  was  a  bad  man,  and  not  over-straight  in 
his  dealings.  He  stole  mother's  diamonds  I  firmly  be- 
lieve, and  you  know  how  many  times  I  have  caught  him 
prowling  about  my  rooms.  It  was  only  yesterday  that 
I  discovered  him  in  the  act  of  opening  my  private  desk, 
which  stands  in  my  bedchamber.  How  now,  sirrah  ! 
I  exclaimed,  how  dare  you  make  free  with  my  property 
in  such  a  fashion.  On  my  word,  sir,  you  should  be 
soundly  dealt  with  were  I  master  here  !  The  rascal 
turned  pale  as  he  looked  at  me ;  I  do  not  doubt  but  that 
I  frightened  him,  for  I  was  more  angry  than  I  often  am. 
He  bowed  very  low,  and  backed  out  of  the  room  in  such 
an  absurd  fashion  that  I  laughed  aloud. ' 

"  '  Neither  my  father  nor  my  mother  interrupted  me 
411 


by  a  single  word  while  I  was  speaking,  but  when  I  had 
finished,  my  father  said  in  a  strange  excited  voice,  It 
may  be  the  providence  of  the  Most  High  ;  may  the 
saints  give  me  wisdom  to  act  aright !  As  for  my 
mother  she  smiled  as  I  have  not  seen  her  in  many  a  long 
day.  I  can  see  plainly  that  secretly  they  are  very  glad  to 
be  rid  of  this  man.  I  think  that  for  some  reason,  which 
I  am  at  a  loss  to  understand,  they  were  afraid  of  him.'  " 

At  this  point  in  the  reading  the  young  count  paused 
and  passed  his  hand  across  his  eyes.  ' '  Your  torches, 
Goujet,  give  a  most  uncertain  light,"  he  remarked. 
"  And  interesting  as  this  chronicle  is,  I  must  leave  its 
further  perusal  till  daylight."  He  closed  the  volume 
and  placing  it  under  his  pillow,  threw  himself  down 
upon  his  bed.  Goujet  followed  his  example,  and  soon 
silence  and  sleep  reigned  in  the  place. 

By  degrees  the  fire  died  away,  till  at  length  only  a 
bed  of  red  coals  remained,  which  winked  and  purred 
gently  amid  the  gathering  grey  of  the  ashes,  while  the 
shadows  which  lurked  in  the  corners  and  about  the 
rafters  of  the  room  grew  gradually  darker  and  heavier. 
After  a  time  a  shadow  blacker  than  the  others  took 
shape  to  itself  and  darted  boldly  out  from  among  the 
rest ;  in  form  it  resembled  a  man,  and  it  thrust  some- 
thing deep  down  into  the  bed  of  sleepy  coals.  They 
licked  the  something  gently  with  their  red  tongues,  then 
finding  it  to  their  liking  leapt  up  suddenly  with  a  merry 
and  fierce  light,  which  roared  up  the  great  chimney. 
Then  the  dancing  flames  fell  back  as  suddenly  as  they 
had  sprung  up,  and  the  sleepers,  who  had  turned  un- 
easily as  the  bright  light  fell  upon  their  closed  eyelids, 
breathed  softly  again.  As  for  the  shadow,  it  slept  with 
the  rest. 

412 


CHAPTER  XLIX 

A    NICHE   IN   THE   WALL 

IT  was  still  raining  heavily  when  Baillot  awoke  the 
next  morning.  He  could  hear  the  wind  as  it  tore 
hungrily  about  the  cottage,  shrieking  down  the  chim- 
ney as  it  passed,  then  roaring  away  into  the  tops  of  the 
great  pine  trees,  which  it  lashed  in  a  very  fury  of  sullen 
rage. 

Goujet  was  already  astir,  and  a  fresh  fire  crackled 
merrily  on  the  hearth.  "An  ill  day,  master,"  he  said 
cheerfully,  seeing  that  Baillot' s  eyes  were  open  and  that 
he  was  staring  thoughtfully  about  the  room.  "  Little 
as  I  love  this  island  of  ours,  I  am  not  sorry  for  a  bit  of 
solid  ground  under  my  feet  this  morning  ;  the  stanchest 
ship  ever  built  would  be  but  a  bubble  in  the  grasp  of 
such  a  storm.  I  thought  of  that  book  of  yours,  master, 
and  I  said  to  myself,  not  a  bad  thing  to  pass  away  the 
time  a  day  like  this.  I  want  to  find  out  if  the  lad  ever 
made  out  to  get  away." 

Thus  reminded  Baillot  thrust  his  hand  under  the  pil- 
low. Then  he  sat  up,  turned  it  over  and  shook  it,  next 
he  sprang  out  of  bed  looking  rather  anxious. 

"Where  did  I  put  that  book  last  night,  Goujet?"  he 
asked,  "I  thought  I  thrust  it  under  my  pillow  ;  I  re- 
member to  have  had  a  notion  that  perhaps — Where  is 
the  Portuguese ?  I  don't  see  him." 

"  In  his  hammock  ;  he's  a  lazy  dog  and  sleeps  late," 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

replied  Goujet, — "But  no,  he  isn't  there.     Where  can 
the  fellow  have  gone  ?' ' 

At  this  moment  the  door  flew  open  and  de  Miguel 
came  in  dripping  with  wet.  "  I  have  been  for  fresh 
water, ' '  he  said,  setting  down  a  brimming  bucket  upon 
the  floor  and  turning  to  secure  the  door  against  the 
blast,  a  task  which  he  finally  accomplished  with  diffi- 
culty. 

"The  devil  you  have?"  exclaimed  Goujet  in  amaze- 
ment. "What  has  gotten  you  on  a  sudden,  Monsieur 
de  Miguel  ?  Such  a  fit  of  usefulness  is  surprising. ' ' 

"  I  was  thirsty  and  there  was  nothing  to  drink." 

"  And  so  you  went  as  far  as  the  cavern  alone  to  quench 
your  thirst.  The  bucket  was  half  full  last  night,  but 
that  was  not  fresh  enough,  eh  ?' ' 

"  Can  you  tell  me,  sir,  the  whereabouts  of  the  volume 
from  which  I  was  reading  last  night,  and  which  you 
were  so  anxious  to  examine?"  said  Baillot,  who  had 
been  continuing  the  search  for  his  find  of  the  day  be- 
fore. 

"  No,  seignior,  I  cannot,"  replied  de  Miguel  dogged- 
ly, throwing  himself  down  into  a  chair  before  the  fire 
and  stretching  out  his  legs  to  the  genial  blaze. 

"It  is  very  strange  what  can  have  become  of  it," 
said  Goujet,  "  I  remember  to  have  seen  my  master  place 
it  beneath  his  pillow  last  night.  Have  you  not  seen 
it?" 

"  I  saw  it  last  night  in  the  hands  of  the  noble  Comte 
de  Lantenac,"  replied  de  Miguel  with  an  insolent  wag 
of  the  head;  "  he  refused  me  permission  to  take  it  in 
my  hands." 

"  You  have  destroyed  it — or  hidden  it !"  exclaimed 
Baillot.     De  Miguel  made  no  reply. 
414 


A  NICHE  IN  THE  WALL 

"Answer  me,  fellow;  what  have  you  done  with  my 
book?" 

"What  have  I  done  with  your  book,  seignior  ?  And 
how  pray,  did  it  come  to  be  your  book  ?  Is  this  island 
then  your  property  ?  Was  the  chateau  yours  ?  By  what 
right  did  you  make  free  with  what  you  knew  to  be  the 
private  journal  of  another  man  ?  You  prate  about 
honor  !  Pah,  I  spit  upon  such  honor  !" 

Baillot  turned  pale  and  fell  back  a  few  paces,  and  de 
Miguel  perceiving  his  advantage  sprang  to  his  feet. 
' '  Suppose  that  to  protect  those  who  once  lived  here 
from  your  insolent  curiosity  I  burnt  the  book ;  I  say 
that  I  had  the  right  to  do  so  !" 

"This  is  infamous  !"  cried  Goujet.  "I  will  teach 
you,  dog,  to — " 

"Nay!  Let  him  be,  what  he  has  said  is  true," 
groaned  Baillot,  "  though  God  knows  that  I  never 
thought  of  it  in  that  light.  Speak  no  more  of  the  matter; 
it  is  finished,"  and  without  another  word  he  wrapped 
himself  in  his  cloak  and  strode  out  into  the  storm. 

The  smile  of  haughty  derision  and  noble  contempt, 
which  de  Miguel's  face  had  worn  as  he  thus  metaphori- 
cally ground  the  young  count  under  his  boot-heels,  now 
faded  to  a  sickly,  imploring  grin  when  he  perceived 
that  he  was  to  be  left  alone  with  Goujet.  He  sidled  to- 
ward the  door. 

"  You  would  follow  my  master,  would  you? — to  in- 
sult him  further  perhaps.  You — you  dirty  scoundrel, 
you!"  roared  Goujet,  choking  with  wrath.  "Try  to 
do  it  and  observe  what  follows  !"  And  he  caught  the 
unfortunate  de  Miguel  by  the  scruff  of  his  neck,  and 
bestowed  sundry  hearty  kicks  on  that  portion  of  his 
anatomy  designed  by  nature  for  chastisement. 
415 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Oh— oh!  You  villain,  you  unspeakable  pig!" 
bawled  de  Miguel.  "  How  dare  you  ?  the  seignior  told 
you  not  to  touch  me  !  He  would  not  permit  this  !  Help  ! 
Mercy!  You  are  killing  me." 

"Killing  you,  no!  though  you  deserve  it,"  said 
Goujet,  shaking  his  victim  till  the  teeth  rattled  in  his 
head,  then  setting  him  down  with  a  smart  cuff  on  each 
ear  as  a  sort  of  finish  to  the  performance.  "  How  does 
your  honor  feel  now  ?  Such  a  fine  delicate  sense  of 
honor  that  you  can  instruct  and  reprove  the  head  of  one 
of  the  oldest  families  in  France." 

De  Miguel  whimpered  dolorously,  caressing  mean- 
while the  injured  portions  of  his  frame  with  a  fat  pudgy 
hand. 

"You  burnt  that  book,  you  scoundrel,  because  you 
feared  that  it  would  relate  some  villainy  in  which  you 
have  had  a  share.  Perhaps  you  know  more  about  the 
disappearance  of  these  people,  and  the  destruction  of 
this  place  than  you  would  like  to  have  discovered." 

"  I  have  not — I  swear  I  have  not !  Holy  St.  Michael 
and  all  the  saints  bear  me  witness  !  I  am  as  innocent  as 
a  babe  of  any  crime  !" 

"Of  course  I  shall  believe  you,  now  that  you  have 
said  that,"  sneered  Goujet.  "Your  sense  of  honor  is 
so  great  that  you  could  not  perjure  yourself.  Now  listen, 
I  am  going  in  search  of  my  master.  You  need  not  fol- 
low." 

De  Miguel  made  no  reply,  and  Goujet,  hastily  wrap- 
ping himself  in  his  cloak,  beneath  which  he  sheltered  a 
bundle  of  torches,  left  the  cottage.  He  made  directly 
for  the  cavern,  some  instinct  telling  him  that  there  he 
should  find  his  young  master.  He  was  not  mistaken  ; 
in  the  great  oaken  chair  before  the  table  sat  the  young 
416 


A  NICHE  IN  THE  WALL 

Huguenot,  his  head  bowed  upon  his  arms,  the  water 
dripping  off  his  clothing  onto  the  stone  floor,  where  it 
had  formed  a  little  pool,  which  was  already  stretching 
forth  a  long  crawling  finger  toward  the  ill-omened  stain 
as  if  to  wash  it  away. 

"I  thought  I  should  find  you  here!"  exclaimed 
Goujet  cheerfully,  affecting  not  to  notice  his  master's 
manifest  abandonment  to  his  grief.  "  Since  we  cannot 
read  your  book — which  the  rascal  finally  acknowledged 
that  he  destroyed  because  of  his  fear  lest  you  should  dis- 
cover in  it  something  against  himself — we  can  explore 
this  place.  I  have  brought  torches." 

"He  acknowledged  that?"  asked  Baillot,  without 
changing  his  attitude. 

"He  certainly  did,"  said  Goujet  without  a  qualm. 
"  I  took  him  in  hand  a  little  after  you  left." 

"I  thought  I  forbade  you  to  touch  him,"  said  Bail- 
lot,  but  with  no  anger  in  his  voice. 

"So  he  said,"  quoth  Goujet.  "I  didn't  remember 
anything  of  the  sort.  I  didn't  hurt  him  seriously. 
Come,  master,  don't  sit  there  in  your  wet  clothes.  I 
have  some  torches,  and  we  will  do  what  we  have  often 
spoken  of — explore  this  place  thoroughly. ' ' 

Baillot  shuddered,  then  he  arose  as  if  with  a  sudden 
resolution,  and  taking  a  lighted  torch  began  to  look 
carefully  into  all  the  dark  corners  of  the  place ;  he  had 
a  lurking  hope  that  he  might  find  some  further  message 
from  Madeline.  Before  many  minutes  had  elapsed,  he 
called  to  Goujet,  who  was  examining  the  long  gallery 
leading  to  the  chateau. 

"  Hold  my  torch,"  he  said.  "There  is  something 
here  which  looks  like  a  sliding  panel,  or  door." 

"  How  can  that  be  in  the  solid  rock?"  asked  Goujet. 
27  417 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

' '  But  yes  !  Morbleu  !  There  is  something  of  the  kind 
there,  and  a  recess  back  of  it." 

A  portion,  apparently  of  the  stone  itself,  but  upon 
closer  examination  turning  out  to  be  a  panel  of  wood 
cunningly  carved  and  colored  to  imitate  the  surround- 
ing stone  had  slid  back  into  a  niche  evidently  made  to 
receive  it,  revealing  a  narrow  recess  cut  in  the  solid 
rock. 

"What  is  in  there?"  cried  Goujet  excitedly.  " Mon 
dieu  !  Nothing  but  a  barrel !  What  now  could  be  the 
reason  for  contriving  such  a  cunning  hiding-place  for  a 
common  cask?" 

"But  it  is  not  a  common  cask,"  said  Baillot,  remov- 
ing the  article  in  question  from  its  niche  and  setting  it 
down  with  a  thump  upon  the  floor.  "It  is  monstrous 
heavy ;  look  too  at  the  curious  brasswork  upon  it,  and 
the  wrought-iron  hoops." 

Goujet  handed  the  torch  to  Baillot,  and  lifting  the 
cask  from  the  ground  shook  it  violently.  "  There  is  no 
liquor  in  it,  that  is  certain,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  heard 
something  rattle  inside.  But  how  to  get  the  thing 
open,  there's  the  question  !"  Both  men  stood  off  and 
looked  at  the  newly-discovered  object.  It  was,  as  has 
been  already  said,  a  cask ;  to  all  appearances  such  a 
cask  as  might  be  used  for  storing  some  choice  and  heady 
wine,  but  upon  closer  examination  exhibiting  several 
marked  differences.  It  was  made  of  some  rich  wood 
blackened  with  age,  and  solidly  bound  with  hoops  of 
wrought-iron,  while  upon  either  end  it  was  still  further 
defended  from  too  curious  investigation  by  heavy  clamp- 
ings of  brasswork,  now  quite  green  with  the  damp  of 
this  underground  place. 

"The  green  upon  the  end-pieces  there  reminds 
418 


A  NICHE  IN  THE  WALL 

me  of  mouldy  cheese,"  quoth  Goujet,  his  head  on  one 
side.  "And  speaking  of  cheese  puts  me  in  mind  of 
the  remark  of  our  former  messmates,  '  By  that  time  the 
rats  will  have  found  the  cheese. '  They  had  better  call 
for  us  now,  for  in  my  opinion  yonder 's  the  cheese  they 
had  in  mind." 

' '  You  think  it  is  treasure  then  ?' ' 

"I've  seen  the  outside — mind  I  don't  say  the  in- 
side— of  such  cases  before ;  and  I've  heard  tell  that 
the  gentry  sometimes  keep  their  valuables  in  things  of 
the  sort.  But  they're  devilish  hard  to  get  into." 

Baillot  glanced  quickly  at  his  companion  ;  he  wore  a 
cunning  smile  and  his  black  eyes  glistened  covetously. 
All  the  pirate  was  awake  in  him  at  sight  of  this  ugly 
cask.  "  If  I  had  no  right  to  read  the  book,"  he  said 
slowly,  " — and  whatever  the  man's  motive  in  destroy- 
ing it,  I  see  plainly  that  he  was  right — what  possible 
excuse  can  I  have  for  appropriating  another  man's 
treasure." 

Goujet  looked  at  the  young  count  with  an  impatient 
scowl.  "It  is  not  easy  for  us  to  pull  in  the  same  boat," 
he  growled.  "Who  knows  where  the  man  is  who  con- 
cealed that  cask ;  he  may  be  dead  and  buried  for 
aught  either  of  us  know.  We  have  as  much  right  to 
it  as  to  anything  else  we  find  here.  At  any  rate,  be- 
fore we  discuss  the  matter  further  let  us  find  out  what 
the  cask  contains. ' '  And  he  lifted  the  article  in  ques- 
tion and  carried  it  out  into  the  daylight.  "I  see  no 
sign  of  a  key-hole,"  he  observed,  "but  an  axe  will 
soon  open  it." 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when  a 
figure  which  had  been  standing  unobserved  in  the  en- 
trance, darted  forward  with  a  cry. 
419 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  Do  not  take  an  axe  to  it,  blockhead  !"  he  screamed, 
embracing  the  cask  with  both  arms. 

' '  Ah,  you  are  here  !  Did  I  not  tell  you  to  remain 
behind?" 

"  And  who  are  you  that  I  should  obey  you?"  said  de 
Miguel.  "  Where  did  you  find  this  casket?" 

"That  is  my  business,"  replied  Goujet,  advancing 
with  the  uplifted  pickaxe.  "  Out  of  the  way  while  I 
see  what  is  in  it !" 

"Don't  break  it,  fool!  I  can  open  it.  But  I  tell 
you  beforehand  that  whatever  it  contains  is  mine.  I 
will  defend  it  with  my  life. ' ' 

"How  is  that?"  inquired  Baillot.  "You  did  not 
even  know  of  the  existence  of  this  place." 

"  It  was  stolen  from  me,"  said  de  Miguel.  He  had 
seated  himself  upon  the  cask  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
means  to  defend  his  rights  against  all  comers.  ' '  It  was 
stolen  from  me.  To  prove  it,  I  will  tell  you  what  this 
cask  should  contain  before  I  open  it.  It  should,  in  the 
first  place,  contain  certain  bags  of  coin  ;  also  jewels  of 
price,  diamonds,  rubies,  ropes  of  pearl,  and  pieces  of 
gold  plate.  Now  I  will  open  it — you  perceive  that  I 
know  the  secret  of  its  lock — and  we  shall  see. ' ' 

Arising  from  his  seat  he  closely  examined  the  upper- 
most end.  "It  is  the  other  end,"  he  muttered,  then 
aloud,  "Turn  it  over  for  me." 

Goujet  complied  ;  de  Miguel  quickly  slid  aside  a  por- 
tion of  the  brasswork,  pressed  a  concealed  spring,  and 
the  top  flew  open.  "  I  will  remove  the  contents  of  the 
cask,"  he  continued  gravely,  "that  you  may  both  see  that 
I  am  speaking  the  tiuth.  I  rely  upon  your  honor,  seignior, 
to  see  that  my  property  is  untouched. ' '  Baillot  made  an 
impatient  gesture  of  assent,  while  his  face  flushed  darkly. 
420 


A  NICHE  IN  THE  WALL 

"These  bags,  as  I  have  said,  should  contain  gold 
coin,  pistoles  and  double  pistoles,"  continued  de 
Miguel  with  an  unctuous  dignity  of  tone  and  mien, 
which  increased  as  he  proceeded  with  his  congenial  em- 
ployment. "  And  now  for  the  jewels  !" 

"Mon  dieu  /"  cried  Goujet,  involuntarily  stepping  for- 
ward a  pace,  and  opening  and  shutting  his  fingers  long- 
ingly. Diamonds — in  rings,  in  bracelets,  set  in  curi- 
ous watches,  and  glittering  royally  in  pendants  and 
stars,  rubies  burning  with  a  scarlet  flame,  the  milky 
lustre  of  pearls,  and  glistening  sparks  of  green  splendor, 
where  an  emerald  caught  the  light,  all  these  and  more, 
in  the  shape  of  some  curious  jewels  of  wrought  gold, 
the  Portuguese  removed  from  the  interior  of  the  cask 
and  piled  upon  the  ground. 

"You  behold  these  things,"  he  observed,  waving  his 
hand  comprehensively.  "They  are  all  mine,  and  I  have 
proved  it." 

"Not  to  my  satisfaction,"  growled  Goujet.  "Any 
knave  might  have  known  the  secret  of  the  fastening ; 
and  as  for  the  contents,  I  could  have  made  a  decent 
guess  at  that  myself.  You'll  have  to  be  older  than  you 
are  now  and  a  better  liar  before  you'll  keep  that  prop- 
erty." 


421 


CHAPTER  L 

FOUND    AND    LOST 

"  THIS  cask  and  its  contents  are  mine,"  said  Baillot, 
"mine  by  right  of  discovery. " 

"  Ah,  master,  you  are  coming  to  your  senses  at  last !" 
cried  Goujet  delightedly.  "  You  hear  that,  scoundrel  ?' ' 

Baillot  checked  him  with  an  imperative  gesture.  "  It 
is  my  will  that  the  valuables  be  restored  to  the  cask ;  I 
shall  then  restore  the  cask  to  its  hiding-place.  There 
it  shall  remain,  until  the  lawful  owner  shall  return  for 
it ;  if  that  never  happens,  then  there  it  shall  remain  till 
the  day  of  doom.  I  have  said  it,  and  I  will  at  this 
moment  shoot  anyone  who  dares  to  dispute  the  matter. ' ' 
And  he  drew  the  pistol  from  his  belt  and  advanced  with 
an  air  that  caused  de  Miguel  to  fall  back  in  alarm. 

"  The  saints  defend  us  !"  he  cried,  "and  is  that  the 
way  you  would  deprive  an  honest  man  of  his  property  ? 
What  accursed  folly — but  I  comply,  oh,  yes — imme- 
diately !  Everything  shall  go  back  into  the  cask  ;  but 
I  alone  know  the  secret  of  its  lock,"  and  he  smiled 
cunningly  to  himself. 

"And  I  alone  can  lift  it,"  remarked  Goujet. 

"You  are  mistaken,"  returned  Baillot  coolly.  "I 
can  lift  it  with  ease,  and  I  alone  know  the  secret  of  its 
hiding-place.  I  shall  put  it  back  alone." 

De  Miguel  and  Goujet  looked  at  one  another.  For 
the  moment  there  was  actually  a  bond  of  sympathy  be- 
twixt them. 

422 


FOUND  AND  LOST 

"  Leave  me  at  once  !"  commanded  the  young  count. 
And  the  two  after  a  moment's  hesitation  sullenly 
obeyed. 

' '  Morbleu,  what  folly !  but  I  shall  find  it ;"  exclaimed 
Goujet. 

"We  will  find  it,  and  you  shall  share  with  me," 
whispered  de  Miguel. 

"  It  belongs  to  my  master.  He  can  do  what  he  likes 
with  his  own,"  replied  Goujet  with  a  look  of  cold  dis- 
like. 

They  were  shortly  joined  by  Baillot  and  all  three 
strode  along  toward  the  cottage.  Nothing  further  was 
said  of  the  hidden  treasure,  but  none  the  less  two  of  the 
three  thought  of  it  unceasingly. 

"  I  will  have  it,"  declared  de  Miguel  to  himself,  "  if 
I  have  to  kill  both  the  others  to  get  it. ' ' 

"  I  will  have  it,"  resolved  Goujet,  "  if  I  have  to  tear 
down  the  whole  cavern  ;  I  already  know  about  where  it 
was." 

That  evening  after  de  Miguel  had  thrown  himself  into 
his  hammock  and  his  heavy  breathing  betrayed  the  fact 
that  he  was  sleeping,  Baillot  turned  to  Goujet  who  was 
working  at  his  carving  in  sullen  silence.  "  You  thought 
me  very  hard  to-day,  did  you  not  ?  Almost  savage, 
when  I  drove  you  out  of  the  cavern  at  the  mouth  of  my 
pistol.  It  is  not  the  thing  to  threaten  with  death  a  man 
who  has  twice  saved  one's  life,"  he  added  thoughtfully. 
''But  what  could  I  do?" 

"You  did  not  mean  it  then?"  said  Goujet  brighten- 
ing up. 

' '  Mean  it  ?  No.  I  could  never  hurt  a  hair  of  your 
head,  man, ' '  said  Baillot  with  feeling. 

"Sacre  bleu  !     Do  you   suppose  I  cared   about  the 
423 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

pistol?  I  mean" — and  he  lowered  his  voice  to  a 
whisper — "the  treasure.  You  only  said  what  you  did 
to  frighten  away  yonder  wretch,  who  has  no  rightful 
claim  on  it." 

"  I  agree  with  you  there,"  said  Baillot  gently,  "  but 
I  certainly  did  mean  what  I  said  about  leaving  the  treas- 
ure where  I  found  it." 

"But  you  are  a  poor  man,  master,"  urged  Goujet. 
' '  Did  the  king  hesitate  to  confiscate  your  property  ? 
And  is  your  honor  more  binding  than  his  ?' ' 

"  I  disobeyed  the  king.  He  took  my  estates  to  pun- 
ish that  disobedience.  To  this  treasure  I  have  no 
shadow  of  right. ' ' 

"Oh,  folly — folly  !"  groaned  Goujet,  then  as  Baillot 
said  nothing,  he  added  :  ' '  Yonder  dog  will  not  cease 
to  search  for  it. ' ' 

"Let  him  search;  he  will  not  find  it,"  replied  the 
young  count.  ' '  But  look  you,  my  man  !  I  want  you 
to  pledge  me  your  word  of  honor  that  you  will  not 
speak  to  him  of  the  matter,  and  that  you  will  not  your- 
self search  for  it." 

"The  first  I  promise  willingly.  I  want  no  words 
with  the  man,  but,  diable !  You  ask  too  much  when 
you  ask  the  other.  I  must  search  for  it — if  you  will 
not  tell  me  where  it  is,  and,  morbleu,  I  shall  find  it !" 

Baillot  made  no  comment  on  this  speech,  he  con- 
tinued to  watch  the  flames  which  were  dancing  up  the 
chimney.  "  I  do  not  want  it  for  myself,"  continued 
Goujet,  looking  at  him  uneasily.  "What  do  I  want 
with  such  a  treasure  ?  But  for  you,  surely  in  a  new 
country  now — " 

"You  will  not  be  with  me  there,"  said  Baillot  quiet- 
ly, without  turning  his  head. 
424 


FOUND  AND  LOST 

"I  shall  not?  And  why?  I  have  sworn  never  to 
leave  you." 

"  I  shall  not  want  a — thief  in  my  company." 

Goujet  started  to  his  feet  with  a  great  oath,  and  half 
drew  his  knife.  Baillot  did  not  move.  "  Master,  master, 
not  that — don't  say  that !  I  have  been  everything  that 
is  wicked,  but  I  swear  to  you  that  I  shall  be  so  no  longer. 
I  promise  you  that  I  will  not  look  for  this  accursed  treas- 
ure. I  will  be  faithful!"  and  with  a  genuine  sob  the 
man  dropped  on  his  knees  before  the  young  count,  and 
covered  his  hand  with  kisses. 

"  I  believe  you,  my  good  Goujet,  and  such  service  as 
you  will  render  will  be  more  to  me  than  treasure.  Nay, 
a  heart  of  love  is  treasure,  and  the  best  the  world  con- 
tains. ' ' 

The  next  morning  Goujet  took  occasion  to  speak 
aside  with  de  Miguel.  "  Here  is  the  purse  my  master 
gave  you,"  he  said;  "take  it,  I  will  only  keep  back 
what  is  not  due  you.  There  is  in  it  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  pistoles ;  of  these  one  hundred  and  fifty  he 
promised  you  for  the  victualling  of  the  ship.  Liar  and 
wretch  that  you  are,  take  it !  The  other  fifty  pistoles  I 
shall  keep  for  my  master — for  heaven  save  him,  he  has 
not  another  livre  in  the  whole  world. ' ' 

"  But  why  do  you  give  it  back  to  me?"  said  de  Mi- 
guel, staring  at  him  curiously.  "Ah,  I  know!  You 
do  not  care  now  for  money ;  you  think  you  will  have 
the  treasure .  Viper  !  You  shall  not,  you  nor  your 
miserable  sneaking  master.  I  hate  you  both  with  my 
whole  heart,  and  but  that  I  have  sworn  to  the  saints  to 
leave  you  unharmed  till  I  am  safely  out  of  this  place,  I 
would  kill  you  now. ' ' 

Goujet  stood  looking  at  the  little  man,  who  had 
425 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

worked  himself  up  into  quite  a  white  heat  of  anger, 
then  he  burst  into  an  immoderate  fit  of  laughter. 
"Thank  you  kindly,  monsieur,  for  your  forbearance," 
he  said,  and  without  another  word  turned  away. 

De  Miguel  kept  the  oath  which  he  had  sworn  to  him- 
self. Not  a  day  passed  that  he  did  not  visit  the  cavern 
to  search  for  the  hidden  treasure.  He  forgot  his  fears, 
and  his  old  occupation  of  digging  in  the  ruins  for  bits 
of  melted  silver  was  wholly  abandoned.  He  rarely 
spoke  to  his  two  companions,  returning  from  his  self- 
imposed  labors  only  to  eat  ravenously  of  the  food  pro- 
vided by  Goujet,  then  throwing  himself  sullenly  into 
his  hammock  to  sleep  off  his  fatigue.  Each  day  of  un- 
successful searching  added  a  little  to  the  measure  of 
hate  and  revenge  that  threatened  to  boil  over  its  narrow 
limits. 

"  Curse  him  !  I  hate  him  !"  he  howled,  shaking  his 
tremulous  hands  toward  heaven,  as  he  paused  one 
day  exhausted  after  hours  of  fruitless  toil.  And  the 
airy  echoes  showered  back  upon  his  head,  Hate — hate — 
hate  ! 

Half-mad  with  the  dark  passions  which  filled  his 
breast,  the  unhappy  wretch  flew  at  the  rocky  walls,  and 
beat  against  them,  clawing  at  them  fiercely  with  his 
hands,  still  screaming  curses  and  imprecations.  As  if 
there  was  some  black  magic  in  his  fearful  words  the 
hidden  panel  suddenly  flew  open  revealing  the  cask. 

"  My  God,  I  have  found  it  !  Yes — I  have  found  it ! 
Quick,  let  me  open  and  see !  Ah — the  gold,  the 
diamonds !  Ha,  ha,  ha !  And  all  mine — all  mine — 
all  mine  !"  With  an  almost  superhuman  effort  he  lifted 
the  cask,  and  frantic  with  joy  kissed  the  jewels  and 
hugged  the  bags  of  gold  to  his  breast. 
426 


FOUND  AND  LOST 

"Ah!  My  diamonds — my  rubies — my  gold!  All 
mine!  All  mine!"  And  the  stones  glittered  hotly 
beneath  his  gaze  as  though  kindled  with  sparks  of  the 
hell  of  greed  that  flamed  within  his  soul. 

''But  what  shall  I  do  with  them?  They  will  find 
them  !  He  will  take  them  away  from  me,  curse  him — 
curse  him  !"  And  with  a  quick  revulsion  from  his  mad 
rapture  to  the  haunting  misery  of  fear,  the  wretch 
looked  fearfully  over  his  shoulder,  as  he  stealthily  and 
hurriedly  returned  the  jewels  to  the  cask. 

' '  I  must  hide  it — but  where  ?  He  knows  of  this 
place ;  besides  I  cannot  lift  the  cask.  Where — where 
can  I  hide  it  ?' ' 

An  hour  later  he  emerged  from  the  cavern  with  a 
satisfied  and  cunning  smile  upon  his  lips. 

"  He  cannot  find  it  now,"  he  muttered.  But  in  the 
middle  of  the  night  the  terror  came  upon  him  again. 
"They  will  find  it — they  will  find  it !  He  will  laugh 
when  he  sees  it !  Ah,  I  could  kill  them,  but  I  dare  not 
stay  here  alone,"  and  in  his  anguish  he  bit  and  tore  at 
his  own  flesh. 

The  next  day  he  hid  the  cask  in  a  new  place,  only  to 
have  the  terror  come  upon  him  afresh.  And  so  every 
day  and  many  times  in  the  day  he  hid  the  treasure 
anew,  his  fear  growing  greater  and  the  hatred  in  his 
soul  stronger  till  his  appearance  was  frightful.  His 
cheeks  hung  down  in  flabby  folds ;  his  eyes  glared  like 
those  of  a  hunted  wolf ;  while  his  fingers,  which  had 
become  curved  like  those  of  a  bird  of  prey,  trembled 
perpetually. 

Baillot  felt  a  great  compassion  arise  within  his  soul  as 
he  looked  upon  this  wretched  being,  and  he  spoke  to 
him  more  kindly  than  had  been  his  wont.      ' '  You  are 
427 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

ill,"  he  said.  "Think  no  more  of  that  accursed 
treasure — would  God  I  had  never  found  it !" 

"You  have  found  it?  Then  I  will  kill  you  !  It  is 
mine — mine — mine!"  and  the  wretch  flew  fiercely  at 
the  young  count. 

So  sudden  was  the  attack,  and  so  surprised  was  the 
victim  of  it,  that  powerful  as  he  was  he  could  scarcely 
shake  off  the  enraged  creature  that  clung  to  him,  snarl- 
ing and  foaming. 

Goujet  had  hastened  to  his  master' :>  assistance,  and 
between  them  they  forced  the  man  to  relinquish  his 
hold.  He  suddenly  became  limp  in  their  grasp  and  fell 
to  weeping  weakly. 

"  Don't  take  it  away  from  me — it  will  kill  me.  I 
did  not  mean  what  I  said ;  I  am  an  old  man,  and  poor 
— yes  poor,  I  have  not  a  pistole  in  the  world,  I  swear 
it — I  swear — "  Then  he  fell  back  in  strong  convul- 
sions. 

"  Poor  wretch  !"  said  Baillot.  "  It  was  an  unlucky 
day  for  him  when  I  found  that  treasure.  God  only 
knows  the  misery  those  innocent  glittering  stones 
have  already  wrought,  what  tears,  what  anguish,  what 
blood!" 

The  convulsions  ceased  presently  and  de  Miguel  lay 
quiet.  After  a  time  he  arose  again  and  walked  about, 
but  something  was  vanished.  "  I  have  forgotten,"  he 
would  say  plaintively,  passing  his  hand  across  his  eyes. 
"  What  is  it  that  I  am  looking  for? — You  will  not  take 
it  from  me,  will  you  ?  May  the  saints  bless  you,  for  I 
am  a  poor  old  man." 

Sometimes  he  would  start  up  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  with  a  shriek.  "  They  will  find  it !  I  must  hide 
it  again  !"  only  to  sink  back  again  weakly,  muttering  to 
428 


FOUND  AND  LOST 

himself.  Even  Goujet  was  kind  to  him  now,  giving 
him  the  warmest  seat  by  the  fireside,  and  covering  him 
at  night  with  his  own  cloak.  What  he  had  so  often 
said  of  himself  had  come  true  at  last,  he  was  nothing 
but  a  poor  old  man. 

And  so  the  winter  wore  heavily  away.  The  rains 
wept  themselves  into  the  ocean ;  and  the  ocean  ceased 
to  roar  on  its  shingly  beach,  and  fell  to  crooning  softly 
of  the  long,  warm,  moonlit  nights  that  were  to  come. 
The  trees  and  shrubs  budded  anew,  and  the  roses  burst 
once  more  into  a  carnival  of  bloom,  wreathing  themselves 
about  stone  balustrades,  covering  the  broken  statues  with 
living  robes  of  beauty,  and  breaking  high  up  on  the 
ruined  walls  of  the  desolate  chateau  in  a  foam  of  many- 
colored  blossoms. 

The  Comte  de  Lantenac  saw  in  all  this  that  it  was 
just  a  year  since  he  had  first  set  foot  on  the  mysterious 
island. 


429 


CHAPTER  LI 

, 

L  ESPERANCE   AGAIN 

"  MASTER,"  said  Goujet  one  day,  "we  have  stayed 
on  this  island  for  a  matter  of  six  months  or  more,  and  I 
see  nothing  to  prevent  our  remaining  for  as  many  years  ; 
we  are  far  out  of  the  track  of  vessels. ' ' 

"I  have  found  a  boat,"  replied  his  companion 
abruptly.  The  two  were  in  the  lookout,  which  had 
been  built  by  Winters.  At  the  foot  of  the  tree  crouched 
de  Miguel ;  he  was  chattering  unintelligibly  to  himself, 
but  now  they  could  hear  his  voice  rising  to  a  fretful 
wail ;  he  had  missed  them,  and  was  vaguely  troubled 
by  his  loneliness. 

"Could  we  reach  the  islands  in  a  small  boat  with 
yonder  imbecile  to  look  after  ?' ' 

"Ay!  that  is  the  question.  The  boat  is  not  much 
better  than  a  skiff,  and  badly  knocked  up." 

"  And  we  have  no  tools." 

A  little  silence  fell  between  the  two.  The  stricken 
man  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  wailed  louder. 

"  Can't  you  find  it  for  me?  Don't  let  him  see  it — 
he  will  take  it  away  from  me. ' ' 

Goujet  shook  his  shoulders  angrily.  "A  pest  on  the 
man  !"  he  said.  "What  does  he  mean  by  such  chat- 
ter?" 

"The  unlucky  wretch  found  the  cask,  and  the  pos- 
session of  it  drove  him  mad." 

"Do  you  know  where  it  is  now?" 

43° 


L'ESPERANCE  AGAIN 

"  No  ;  he  has  hidden  it." 

"  Hidden  it !  Man  dieu — and  he  is  mad  !  Then  it  is 
lost  indeed." 

Baillot  laughed  aloud,  a  short,  bitter  laugh.  He 
glanced  down  at  his  clothing  which  hung  in  rags  about 
him. 

"  Should  the  owner  ever  return,  he  will  find  no  treas- 
ure," continued  Goujet  in  an  aggrieved  voice.  "  Surely 
you  will  not  hold  me  longer  to  my  promise  ?' ' 

' '  Can  we  clothe  ourselves  in  gold,  man  ?  Can  we 
eat  diamonds  ?  Can  we  navigate  with  ropes  of  pearl  ?' ' 

' '  But  we  shall  escape — we  shall  surely  escape. ' ' 

"  Then  let  us  preserve  our  reason.  Suppose  yonder 
wretch  could  remember  where  he  hid  the  treasure,  what 
use  would  it  be  to  him  now  ?' ' 

"  All  the  better  for  us  if  we  find  it." 

Baillot  made  no  reply,  but  fell  once  more  to  studying 
the  distant  horizon.  After  awhile  he  spoke  again. 
"  What  make  you  of  yonder  white  fleck?" 

Goujet  who  had  been  sulkily  leaning  over  the  railing 
listening  to  the  senile  ravings  of  the  man  below,  straight- 
ened up  at  this.  He  looked  long  and  earnestly  in  the 
direction  to  which  Baillot  pointed. 

"It  is  a  sail !"  he  said  at  length.  "  Shall  we  fire 
our  beacon?" 

"It  can  do  no  harm,"  said  Baillot  thoughtfully, 
"even  should  the  vessel  chance  to  be  that  of  the  pi- 
rates. ' ' 

' '  Ha — I  had  almost  forgotten  our  friends  !  They  will 
not  forget  us  so  easily.  Should  it  be  the  pirates  it 
would  be  better  to  make  no  sign. ' ' 

As  the  hours  wore  away  it  became  evident  that  the 
vessel  which  they  had  sighted  was  headed  directly  for 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

the  island.  Goujet  was  in  a  fever  of  impatience,  he  was 
up  and  down  between  the  lookout  and  the  cottage  half 
a  hundred  times. 

"We  must  not  let  it  be  seen  that  we  are  here,"  he 
said,  as  he  hastily  concealed  various  articles  in  the 
bushes,  and  endeavored  otherwise  to  efface  the  signs  of 
recent  occupancy  about  their  dwelling. 

"What  shall  we  do  with  him?"  said  Baillot,  indicat- 
ing de  Miguel  with  a  gesture. 

"  Let  us  leave  him  ;  they  will  take  care  of  him." 

* '  He  must  accompany  us. ' ' 

"We  might  gag  him,"  suggested  Goujet,  knowing 
that  there  was  no  use  in  combating  this  decision. 

"I  had  thought  of  that.  We  had  best  conceal  our- 
selves in  the  cavern  till  we  find  out  how  things  are 
going." 

They  soon  finished  their  preparations,  and  accom- 
panied by  de  Miguel  took  refuge  in  the  rock-hewn  gal- 
lery leading  to  the  cavern. 

"We  shall  have  trouble  with  the  fellow  yet,"  said 
Goujet  looking  anxiously  at  the  unfortunate  Portuguese. 
"Look  at  him!" 

Upon  entering  the  place,  the  poor  wretch  had  at  first 
taken  no  notice  of  his  surroundings,  but  chancing  to 
raise  his  dull  eyes,  something  in  the  aspect  of  the  place 
seemed  to  stimulate  his  deadened  brain  ;  he  stared  about 
him  with  more  of  intelligence  in  his  gaze  than  they  had 
noticed  for  months,  then,  muttering  something  to  him- 
self, darted  fonvard  into  the  cavern. 

The  others  followed.  De  Miguel  was  bending  over 
some  object  which  he  had  rolled  out  from  under  a  pile 
of  rubbish  in  one  corner.  He  looked  up  with  a  child- 
ish smile  as  they  approached.  "They  would  never 
432 


L'ESPERANCE  AGAIN 

think  to  look  here,"  he  said,  sitting  flat  upon  the  floor 
and  hugging  the  object  with  both  arms.  "  But  I  shall 
watch  it,  and  never  leave  it  again.  It  hurts  me  here  to 
leave  it,"  and  he  touched  his  forehead. 

Baillot  looked  at  him  undecidedly  for  a  moment. 

"  You  will  not  take  it  away  from  a  poor  old  man  ?" 
said  de  Miguel  with  a  piteous  smile,  hugging  the  cask 
closer  to  his  breast. 

' '  Best  let  him  alone  for  the  present,  master, ' '  whis- 
pered Goujet.  "  He  would  surely  take  to  raving  if  we 
took  the  thing  from  him  now.  Let  us  get  up  in  the 
window  and  watch.  It  is  the  yacht,  sure  enough,"  he 
continued,  peering  out  anxiously. 

Baillot  made  no  reply  ;  he  was  clenching  his  hands  in 
an  agony  of  impatience.  Life  seemed  sweet  to  him  on 
a  sudden  ;  he  was  conscious  of  a  fierce  desire  to  escape 
that  filled  him  with  astonishment  and  almost  remorse. 
The  rattle  of  the  chains  and  the  splash  of  the  heavy 
anchors  as  they  fell  into  the  water  was  music  in  his 
ears. 

"Two,  four,  six,  eight!"  Goujet  was  counting  the 
men  as  they  swung  themselves  over  the  side  into  the 
boat  which  they  had  lost  no  time  in  lowering.  "The 
rascals  are  afraid  of  us  !  And  two  on  the  deck — yes 
three." 

After  this  neither  spoke  for  a  long  time ;  Baillot 
paced  up  and  down,  his  head  bent,  his  eyes  burning 
like  live  coals  beneath  his  black  brows.  Goujet  re- 
mained in  the  window,  staring  at  the  yacht.  De 
Miguel  had  opened  the  cask  and  was  playing  with  the 
jewels,  laughing  delightedly  as  the  light  sparkled  in 
their  brilliant  depths.  After  a  time  he  began  to  deck 
himself  with  them,  winding  the  pearls  about  his  shaggy 
28  433 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

head,  fastening  the  diamonds  among  his  fluttering  rags, 
and  dancing  with  gingerly  steps  about  the  bags  of  gold, 
which  he  eyed  jealously  as  if  fearing  that  they  might 
suddenly  disappear.  Then  his  mood  changed ;  he  re- 
placed everything  in  the  cask  and  with  a  darkly  lower- 
ing brow  began  to  scratch  about  amid  the  rubbish. 

"  I  must  hide  it,"  he  muttered.  "  I  am  hungry  ;  it 
is  growing  dark.  He  cannot  find  it  here."  Then  he 
stood  up  and  began  to  tiptoe  stealthily  toward  the  door, 
looking  back  over  his  shoulder  with  a  cunning  smile. 

"Where  are  you  going?"  said  Baillot  gently,  step- 
ping in  front  of  him. 

De  Miguel  stopped  and  stared  at  him.  "  How  did 
you  come  here  ?' '  he  asked.  ' '  You — you — have  not — ' ' 

"  No,  I  have  not  found  it.     It  is  safe." 

"I  must  see.  I  must  watch  it.  You  know  it  is 
mine.  You  would  not  take  it  ?' ' 

"No,  but  you  had  best  watch  it  for  awhile  longer. 
Here  is  food. ' ' 

"  Ah,  then  I  shall  not  be  forced  to  leave  it !"  And 
snatching  greedily  at  the  proffered  food  the  wretched 
madman  slunk  back  again  to  his  rubbish-heap  and  began 
once  more  to  claw  it  over,  crooning  and  muttering  to 
himself. 

Baillot  stared  at  him  thoughtfully. 

"  I  don't  see  how  we  can  get  him  away,"  said  Gou- 
jet,  who  had  descended  from  his  perch. 

"We  must  get  him  away — even  if  we  have  to  take 
the  cask. ' ' 

Goujet  carefully  suppressed  his  satisfaction  at  this  re- 
mark.     "It  is  quite  possible  that  he  has  as  much  claim 
to  the  treasure  as  anyone,"  he  said  carelessly.      "But 
the  cask  is  another  problem." 
434 


L'ESPERANCE  AGAIN 

"Do  not  suppose  for  a  moment,"  said  Baillot 
sternly,  ' '  that  I  have  changed  my  mind  in  regard  to 
that  unfortunate  discovery  ;  but  I  have  not  forgotten 
that  yonder  wretch  can  justly  lay  all  of  his  misfortunes 
at  my  door.  The  loss  of  his  home,  his  money  and  his 
reason  all  came  about  through  his  connection  with  my 
accursed  fortunes.  His  life  shall  be  sacred  even  at  the 
cost  of  my  own." 

Goujet  made  no  reply,  he  had  clambered  back  to  his 
post  of  observation  in  the  window.  Presently  a  sharp 
cry  of  disappointment  broke  from  him.  ' '  Sacre  bleu  ! 
the  wretches  have  returned  to  the  yacht.  It  cannot  be 
that  they  abandon  the  search  so  quickly. ' ' 

"  There  are  only  four  in  the  boat,  man,"  said  Baillot 
reassuringly.  They  have  returned  for  something,  liquor 
probably. ' ' 

"The  triple  fools!"  exclaimed  Goujet  excitedly. 
"There  are  five  of  them  about  to  return;  they  leave 
the  vessel  almost  unguarded.  It  will  soon  be  dark 
enough  for  us  to  venture  ;  luckily  there  is  no  moon." 

An  hour  later  two  dark  figures  stole  cautiously  out 
into  the  open  and  slid  noiselessly  down  among  the 
rocks  that  lined  the  shore. 

"  I  will  return  for  the  chest  and  the  man,"  whispered 
Goujet,  "whilst  you  guard  the  boat." 

"  Remain  here,"  said  his  companion  shortly.. 

"  He  does  not  trust  me  !"  growled  the  man  who  was 
left.  Away  among  the  trees  he  could  see  the  cheerful 
glimmer  of  camp-fires.  "The  rascals  will  put  in  a 
merry  night  of  it,"  he  muttered  to  himself.  "  Suppose 
now  I  walk  into  their  midst  and  tell  them  that  I  alone 
know  the  whereabouts  of  a  treasure  worth  a  million  of 
livres  !  Who  then  would  be  chief  of  the  band  ?  And 
435 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

why  after  all  should  I  be  bound  for  life  to  a  Huguenot 
nobleman  ?  Did  I  not  swear  that  I  would  call  no  man 
master  while  the  breath  remained  in  my  body  ?  Bah — 
he  does  not  care  for  me  any  more  than  for  the  dust 
under  his  feet !  He  has  spurned  me  like  a  dog  a  score 
of  times  when  I  did  not  fall  in  with  his  ill  humors. ' ' 

Wrapped  in  these  dark  thoughts  he  did  not  hear  the 
steps  of  two  men  who  were  coming  toward  him  along 
the  shore  till  they  were  within  ten  paces. 

"If  we  must  make  this  round  again  to-night,"  one 
of  them  was  saying,  "sink  me  if  I  don't  bring  a  lan- 
tern. My  eyes  are  so  blinded  by  the  firelight  that  I  am 
as  blundering  as  a  bat. ' ' 

"  The  whole  business  is  accursed  folly,"  grumbled  his 
companion.  " That  pestiferous  Portuguese  lied  to  us; 
he  is  probably  dead  long  before  this,  and  his  money- 
bags are  already  squeezed  as  dry  as  an  orange. ' ' 

"Then  you  don't  believe  in  the  treasure?" 

"  Believe  in  it?  No  !  that  was  another  lie  concocted 
between  old  Barebones  and  his  new  swab,  though  I  mis- 
doubt me — ' '  and  the  voices  died  away  as  the  speakers 
passed  on. 

The  effect  of  this  conversation  on  the  listener  was 
worth  remarking.  He  had  forgotten  all  that  he  was 
thinking  about  when  first  he  heard  the  steps  approach- 
ing. 

"A  Ian  tern  and  we  are  lost,"  he  muttered.  "But 
why  does  he  not  come  ?  They  will  return  within  half 
an  hour  and  our  boat  will  be  discovered."  He  waited 
for  an  instant  longer,  straining  his  ears  for  some  sound 
from  the  direction  of  the  cavern,  then  darted  away  into 
the  darkness. 

Baillot  had  found  the  wretched  de  Miguel  asleep,  his 
436 


L'ESPERANCE  AGAIN 

head  pillowed  on  the  cask,  his  arms  wound  tightly  about 
it.  This  he  saw  by  the  light  of  a  pine  splinter  which 
he  ventured  to  kindle,  notwithstanding  the  imminent 
risk  of  its  being  observed  aboard  the  yacht.  He  leaned 
over  the  man  and  shook  him  gently. 

"Come,  my  friend,"  he  said  in  his  ear.  "The 
treasure  is  in  danger." 

The  sleeper  opened  his  eyes,  they  were  dull  and 
heavy.  He  muttered  something  under  his  breath,  then 
turned  and  flung  himself  at  full  length  upon  the  floor. 
He  seemed  to  have  forgotten  the  cask. 

The  young  man  hesitated  for  a  moment ;  then  he  tore 
a  long  strip  from  among  his  rags,  and  securely  gagged 
the  sleeper,  who  only  struggled  and  moaned  feebly  with- 
out opening  his  eyes. 

"  So  far  good  !  Now  if  I  can  carry  him."  Again 
he  stooped  and  lifted  the  limp  figure  from  the  floor  to 
his  shoulders.  But  this  time  he  had  reckoned  without 
his  host ;  he  had  not  taken  half  a  dozen  steps  when  the 
burden  on  his  back  began  to  writhe  and  kick  so  vio- 
lently that  he  was  forced  to  drop  it. 

With  what  would  have  been  a  yell  had  he  not  been 
securely  gagged,  the  Portuguese  sprang  back  to  the 
cask  and  fell  upon  it,  hugging  it  tightly  with  both 
arms. 

"Well  then,  I  must  take  the  cask,  perhaps  he  will 
follow,"  said  his  perplexed  guardian  with  a  shrug.  But 
no  sooner  did  he  attempt  to  touch  the  cask  than  the 
Portuguese  flew  at  him  like  a  tiger.  The  young  man 
handled  him  as  gently  as  possible,  and  at  length  suc- 
ceeded in  holding  him  down  long  enough  to  secure  his 
arms  and  legs. 


437 


CHAPTER    LII 

OFF    THE    ISLAND 

AT  this  moment  Goujet  burst  into  the  cave.  "  Mas- 
ter!" he  whispered  hoarsely,  "they  will  be  upon  us 
with  a  lantern  directly  !"  His  quick  eye  had  grasped 
the  significance  of  the  scene  before  him.  "  I  will  take 
the  man,"  he  added.  "  See  that  his  gag  is  secure  first. 
Do  you  bring  the  cask.  No  use  leaving  it  here  for  the 
pirates  ;  they  will  have  seen  the  light  from  the  windows 
and  will  lose  no  time  in  finding  this  place." 

Baillot  picked  up  the  heavy  cask,  and  presently  the 
two  were  stumbling  along  in  the  thick  darkness  without. 
They  reached  the  shore  in  safety,  but  so  exhausted  that 
they  could  scarcely  breathe.  Goujet  dropped  his 
burden  into  the  bottom  of  the  boat  with  scant  cere- 
mony ;  Baillot  followed  with  his  and  they  shoved  off. 
Goujet  dipped  the  oars  noiselessly  with  one  or  two  long 
powerful  pulls  which  sent  them  well  out  from  the  shore, 
then  he  paused  and  remained  motionless ;  the  twinkle 
of  a  lantern  was  approaching  around  the  bend,  the 
voices  of  the  men  who  carried  it  floating  distinctly 
across  the  little  space  of  water  to  those  in  the  boat. 
They  were  grumbling  as  before. 

"  Let  Lock  turn  out  himself  and  see  what  he  can 
find,"  cried  one.  "There  is  nothing  about  the  place 
but  accursed  rocks  to  break  one's  shins  over,"  and  the 
speaker  stopped  to  groan  and  rub  his  legs  ruefully. 

"Come  on,  you  devil's  spawn!"  said  the  other 
gruffly.  "You  are  always  whining  ;  nothing  suits  you. 
438 


OFF  THE  ISLAND 

Now   that  we've  made   the   cruise,  why  it   stands   to 
reason  that — Hallo  !  what's  that?" 

The  sentries  had  reached  the  narrow  strip  of  beach 
at  the  base  of  the  cliff,  within  whose  rocky  entrails  was 
the  cavern.  Its  narrow  windows,  quite  indistinguish- 
able by  day  amid  the  general  irregularities  of  the  sur- 
face, now  shone  out  brilliantly  with  the  expiring  flame 
of  the  pine  splinter,  which  in  his  haste  Baillot  had  for- 
gotten to  extinguish.  He  cursed  himself  silently  for 
his  carelessness. 

"That  was  a  happy  thought  of  yours,  master,"  whis- 
pered Goujet.  "  It  will  give  the  rascals  something  to 
look  for." 

"But  the  whole  crew  will  be  about  the  place  in  a 
minute  more,  and — ' ' 

"Hist!" 

There  was  a  hasty  splash  of  oars  and  the  sound  of 
voices.  A  moment  more  and  something  passed  them 
swiftly ;  in  the  darkness  they  caught  a  few  words  spoken 
in  a  low  anxious  voice. 

" — ship's  all  right — sea  as  calm  as  a  milkpan,  and 
she's  anchored  at  stem  and  stern,  but  they  must  know 
about  that  light ;  the  rascals — ' ' 

"  They  have  left  the  ship  alone  !"  whispered  Goujet 
in  an  ecstasy.  "What  luck  !"  He  again  began  to  dip 
his  oars  quietly  but  in  a  way  that  sent  their  little  craft 
skimming  along  toward  a  single  light,  which  rising  and 
falling  at  regular  intervals  betrayed  the  location  of  the 
schooner. 

"  I  will  reconnoitre  a  bit,"  said  Baillot,  as  the  skiff 
rubbed  her  nose  softly  against  the  hull  of  the  yacht. 
As  stealthily  and  swiftly  as  a  cat  he  stole  over  the  low 
rail  and  disappeared  in  the  darkness. 
439 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  All's  clear,"  he  whispered  a  moment  later,  "  hand 
up  the  man  ' ' — and  the  unfortunate  de  Miguel  like  a  bale 
of  merchandise  was  passed  up  to  the  deck.  Goujet  had 
thoughtfully  fastened  a  rope  onto  the  precious  cask, 
which  he  had  determined  not  to  lose  sight  of.  ' '  Haul 
her  up,  quick!"  he  whispered  to  Baillot,  tossing  him 
an  end  of  the  tackle.  "Now  for  it!"  he  said,  as  he 
sprang  upon  the  deck.  "  Hold,  I'll  douse  that  lantern 
at  her  bow  ! ' ' 

Working  with  the  desperate  speed  and  strength  of 
men  in  mortal  peril,  the  two  swiftly  raised  and  set  the 
sails  then  as  noiselessly  as  possible  slipped  the  anchors. 
Luckily  there  was  a  light  breeze  off  shore,  the  canvas 
filled  quickly,  and  the  gentle  ripple  of  water  under  the 
vessel's  bow  showed  that  she  had  begun  to  draw  away 
from  the  perilous  neighborhood  of  the  island. 

"Thank  God  !"  murmured  the  young  Huguenot  fer- 
vently, pausing  a  moment  to  listen  to  the  delightful 
sound. 

For  the  first  time  he  turned  to  look  toward  the  shore. 
It  was  alive  with  the  glimmer  of  torches,  and  the  sound 
of  loud  angry  voices  engaged  in  violent  altercation 
floated  across  the  water. 

"Ha,  ha!  A  neater  bit  of  work  I  never  saw!" 
chuckled  Goujet,  who  had  grasped  the  tiller.  "  They'll 
have  time  to  cool  off  at  their  leisure  before  they  get  off 
that  place.  Good  luck  to  you,  messmates  ! ' ' 

This  last  he  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  At  the 
same  moment  de  Miguel  who  had  been  choking  and 
spluttering  over  his  gag,  managed  in  some  way  to  rid 
himself  of  it  and  emitted  a  series  of  weird  howls,  which 
rang  out  over  the  water  in  a  most  startling  fashion. 

That  the  sounds  were  heard  by  those  on  shore  was 
440 


OFF  THE  ISLAND 

evidenced  by  the  behavior  of  the  distant  sparks  of  light, 
every  one  of  which  represented  a  man.  These  lights 
had  been  flitting  about  at  the  base  of  the  cliff,  one  or 
two  even  appearing  like  enormous  fire-flies  half-way  up 
its  surface,  showing  that  some  of  the  more  adventurous 
spirits  were  endeavoring  in  this  way  to  discover  the 
source  of  the  mysterious  vanished  light.  Now  all  quick- 
ly converged  toward  a  single  point,  the  united  glare  of 
the  torches  extending  a  long,  threatening,  blood-red  fin- 
ger toward  the  flying  refugees.  A  chorus  of  hoarse  shouts, 
and  a  shower  of  shot  spattering  the  water  like  hailstones, 
showed  that  the  pirates  guessed  their  plight ;  then  all  the 
sparks  of  light  began  to  flit  away  in  irregular  groups. 

"  They  are  going  for  their  boats,"  quoth  Goujet  in  a 
tone  of  the  deepest  satisfaction.  "  Much  good  may  it  do 
them!" 

As  the  little  vessel  gathered  more  and  more  headway, 
in  a  spirit  of  bravado  he  touched  a  spark  to  the  breech 
of  the  cannon  which  the  pirates  had  mounted  in  the 
stern.  The  dull  roar  of  the  discharge  had  scarcely  died 
away,  when  it  was  answered  by  a  second  report  which 
seemed  to  come  out  of  the  darkness  on  their  starboard 
port.  They  had  cleared  the  island  by  this  time  and  were 
standing  well  out  under  a  stiff  breeze. 

"  And  what  might  that  mean  ?"  he  exclaimed,  staring 
fixedly  into  the  darkness. 

"It means,"  replied  Baillot  composedly,  "that  you 
have  given  our  friends  on  the  island  a  farewell  salute, 
and  at  the  same  time  have  signaled  their  consort,  the 
Rouge  et  Noiry  that  the  yacht  has  left  the  island." 

Goujet  swore  a  great  oath  under  his  breath.  ' '  You 
are  right!"  he  said,  grasping  Baillot' s  arm  ;  "yonder 
are  her  lights !" 

44i 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"Luckily  she  cannot  see  us,"  observed  the  young 
man.  "We  shall  draw  away  from  her  rapidly  in  this 
breeze. ' ' 

"Morbleu  !  I  should  hope  so  !"  said  Goujet.  "We 
need  half  a  dozen  more  hands  to  sail  a  race  with  that 
brigantine. ' '  He  seemed  much  depressed,  and  indulged 
in  considerable  profanity  of  a  polyglot  variety,  which 
need  not  be  set  down  here. 

In  the  meantime  the  other  vessel  proceeded  to  set  off 
a  number  of  rockets  ;  after  which  she  displayed  in  rapid 
succession  two  green  lights  followed  by  two  red  ones  and 
a  single  white  light. 

"  '  Lay  to,  till  we  can  speak  you,'  "  growled  Goujet. 
"  I  think  not,  my  friends,  to-night.  We  can't  stop." 
Then  as  two  blue  lights  twinkled  for  an  instant  in  the 
darkness,  "  No,  no  !  You  are  not  mistaken  in  your 
craft.  It's  the  men  that's  aboard  of  her  you're  wrong 
about,"  and  he  burst  into  a  loud  laugh. 

De  Miguel's  howls  had  by  this  time  quieted  into  a 
feeble  moaning  pitiful  to  hear.  "  I  must  take  him  below, 
and  make  him  as  comfortable  as  possible,"  said  Baillot, 
with  a  remorseful  glance  at  the  wretched  heap  upon 
the  deck.  "But  first  we  must  determine  upon  our 
course. ' ' 

"  If  we  put  for  the  islands,  we  walk  straight  into  the 
teeth  of  the  brigantine,"  said  Goujet.  "  Let  us  go  to 
America ! ' ' 

"To  America!"  exclaimed  Baillot.  "We  do  not 
know  whether  the  vessel  is  provisioned  for  such  a  cruise. 
Then  too — ' '  and  he  pointed  to  the  moaning  bundle  of 
rags — "  he  must  be  taken  home. ' ' 

' '  He  can  be  taken  home  afterwards ;  he  will  never 
see  home  if  we  go  the  other  way.  Our  chances  aren't 
442 


OFF  THE  ISLAND 

worth  a  livre  unless  we  throw  them  off  our  track  before 
daylight. ' ' 

"  So  be  it,"  said  Baillot,  drawing  a  deep  breath. 

Daylight  found  the  little  vessel  bowling  briskly  along 
before  a  steady  wind,  while  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach  over  the  expanse  of  long  green  rollers  there  ap- 
peared no  token  of  human  presence. 

"  The  weather  is  set  fair;  the  season  is  favorable; 
and  the  vessel  is  staunch, ' '  said  Baillot,  as  he  emerged 
from  the  companion-way  after  a  thorough  inspection  of 
the  ship's  stores  ;  ' '  but  we  have  a  bare  larder. ' ' 

"  Bad  news  that,"  said  Goujet.  "  I  am  as  hungry  as 
a  wolf.  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  the  fellows  have  no 
victuals  aboard  ?' ' 

"Very  little,"  said  Baillot  shaking  his  head  ruefully. 
"I  found  one  small  cask  of  pickled  meat  and  two  of  bis- 
cuit, part  of  the  stores  we  left  aboard  I  should  judge,  for 
they  are  none  of  the  freshest.  Worst  of  all  there  is  no 
water  to  speak  of. ' ' 

4 'The  rascals  depended  upon  the  brigantine,"  said 
Goujet,  drawing  his  grizzled  brows  together  thoughtfully. 
"We  are  in  bad  trim  for  the  cruise,"  he  added,  looking 
down  at  his  rags  with  a  short  laugh,  "  and  no  mistake  ; 
but  there's  fish  in  the  sea  for  the  taking,  and  water  in 
the  clouds ;  some  of  it  will  come  our  way  before  long 
I'm  thinking.  I  have  no  mind  to  go  back,  master,  what 
do  you  say  ?' ' 

Baillot  looked  steadily  out  to  sea.  "We  will  con- 
tinue," he  said  slowly,  "on  this  tack,  till  we  see  land 
over  our  bowsprit." 

"Bon!"  cried  Goujet  with  a  great  laugh.  "We 
will !  and  le  bon  dieu  help  us  to  pull  through  on  short 
rations  and  to  keep  warm  in  the  skins  with  which  he 
443 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

provided  us,  for  morbleu  /  we  shall  soon  have  no  other 
cover. ' ' 

"Oh — as  to  that,"  answered  his  companion,  "I 
found  a  couple  of  good  jackets  below  ;  and  I  believe 
there  is  something  else  there  also  in  the  way  of  clothing. 
I  did  not  stop  to  see. ' ' 

"Capital!"  cried  Goujet  with  enthusiasm.  "We 
shall  do  famously  !  And  here  comes  the  first  of  our 
water  supply," — as  one  or  two  great  drops  spattered  on 
the  deck  at  their  feet.  ' '  Let  us  spread  some  canvas  to 
catch  it  and  run  it  off  into  our  butts." 

It  soon  appeared  that  the  small  crew  had  laid  out  for 
themselves  a  great  task ;  and  what  with  short  rations 
and  little  sleep,  the  two  sailors  were  soon  as  gaunt  and 
hollow-eyed  as  ghosts.  But  with  wind  and  weather  in 
their  favor,  every  sail  drawing,  and  league  after  league  of 
blue  water  spinning  away  behind  them,  neither  minded 
the  hardships.  The  mysterious  desolation  of  the  island 
well  out  of  sight,  Baillot  felt  more  and  more  hope 
springing  up  in  his  heart.  Vague  promises  of  joy  and 
comfort  lurked  in  the  following  breeze,  and  in  the 
radiant  glories  of  the  western  horizon  he  read  glad 
prophecies  for  the  future. 

As  for  de  Miguel  he  gave  very  little  trouble  beyond  a 
ravenous  appetite,  which  threatened  to  demolish  their 
slender  store  of  provisions  long  before  they  should  reach 
the  promised  land.  He  would  whine  like  a  child  and 
hold  out  a  feeble  shaking  hand  for  more,  and  Baillot 
more  than  once  fasted  that  he  might  gratify  him.  "I 
have  brought  it  upon  him,"  he  said  to  himself  remorse- 
fully. At  the  end  of  the  second  week  they  found  that 
the  supplies  had  dwindled  alarmingly  in  spite  of  their 
utmost  care. 

444 


OFF  THE  ISLAND 

"We  must  lay  it  out  into  rations,"  declared  Goujet, 
"and  stick  to  'em,  no  matter  how  hungry  we  are. 
And  mind  you,  don't  give  that  old  lunatic  more  than 
his  share  at  your  own  expense.  You  must  keep  up 
your  strength  and  so  must  I ;  as  for  him,  he  does 
nothing,  and  therefore  is  the  least  in  need  of  food. ' ' 

"That  is  true  enough,"  said  Baillot,  "but  I  cannot 
bear  to  see  him  cry  when  I  refuse  him." 

"I'll  look  to  his  rations  from  now  on,"  said  Goujet 
gruffly. 

Baillot  suddenly  stepped  into  the  rigging  and  whipped 
out  his  glass.  "  I  say,  Goujet!"  he  cried.  "Put  her 
down  hard  ;  there's  something  yonder  that  looks  like  a 
number  of  casks  lashed  together !  And,  by  heavens, 
there's  a  man  atop  of  it !" 


445 


CHAPTER  LIII 

THE   MAN   ON    THE   RAFT 

HALF  a  minute  later  L1  Esptrance  was  running  swiftly 
toward  the  object  which  Baillot  had  described  as  a 
number  of  casks  with  a  man  atop. 

"Raft  ahoy!"  shouted  Goujet  as  they  approached 
within  hailing  distance.  But  there  was  no  reply,  and 
the  figure — which  they  could  see  distinctly  now — did 
not  raise  its  head  from  its  knees.  The  casks  rose  and 
fell  on  the  long  green  waves,  the  creaming  crests  break- 
ing over  them  now  and  then  in  a  burst  of  sunlit  spray, 
and  the  wind  gently  lifting  the  long  gray  hair  which  lay 
about  the  shoulders  of  the  solitary  voyager.  The  two 
men  turned  and  looked  each  other  in  the  eyes. 

"  He  is  dead,"  said  Baillot. 

Goujet  said  nothing ;  he  was  making  ready  to  lay  to. 
They  presently  drifted  alongside  of  the  strange  craft, 
and  Goujet,  fastening  a  coil  of  rope  to  the  railing  of  the 
yacht,  jumped  overboard.  In  another  instant  he  had 
secured  the  raft. 

"  I  want  to  look  into  the  matter  of  these  casks,"  he 
shouted.  "  It  may  be  that  there  is  food  here,  though 
it  isn't  likely." 

"The  man  first,"  cried  Baillot. 

"He  is  dead,"  replied  Goujet,  after  a  hasty  exami- 
nation, "but  not  long  dead.     Shall  I  pass  him  up  to 
you,  or  shall  I  tumble  him  over  the  side  ?' ' 
446 


THE  MAN  ON  THE  RAFT 

"  Pass  him  up — pass  him  up,  man  !  We  can  at  least 
give  the  poor  fellow  a  decent  burial." 

It  was  no  easy  matter  to  lift  the  heavy  body  over  the 
side  of  the  vessel  from  the  uncertain  standpoint  afforded 
by  the  raft,  but  it  was  accomplished  without  accident. 
And  Goujet  who  had  grumbled  much  during  the  pro- 
cess, again  turned  his  attention  to  the  casks. 

' '  Now  if  this  gentleman  has  died  out  of  pure  good- 
will and  left  us  his  victuals,"  he  was  saying  to  himself, 
when  he  was  startled  by  a  loud  exclamation  from  the 
deck.  Baillot  had  torn  open  the  shirt  of  the  stranger 
and  was  listening  at  his  heart.  ' '  The  man  is  not  dead  ! ' ' 
he  cried,  ' '  but  he  is  dying  of  thirst.  Quick,  fetch  me 
water  !" 

Leaving  the  casks  still  lashed  to  the  side  of  the  ves- 
sel, Goujet  hastened  to  do  the  young  man's  bidding. 
Together  they  laid  the  castaway  in  an  easy  position, 
then  Baillot  began  to  wet  his  parched  and  swollen 
tongue  with  water  slightly  tempered  with  rum.  At  the 
same  time  Goujet  instituted  a  vigorous  rubbing  of  the 
cold  limbs.  After  nearly  an  hour  of  this  treatment  the 
stranger  gasped  slightly  once  or  twice,  then  opened  his 
eyes,  albeit  with  a  dull  and  unseeing  gaze. 

"Another  mouth  to  feed,"  quoth  Goujet  surveying 
him  dejectedly.  "  We  have  water  enough  now,  but  we 
are  like  to  starve  before  we  sight  land. ' ' 

At  this  the  castaway  essayed  to  speak,  but  his  stiffened 
tongue  refused  its  office,  a  hoarse  unintelligible  murmur 
issued  from  his  blackened  lips,  as  he  feebly  raised  one 
hand. 

"He  means  that  there  is  food  on  the  raft,"  said 
Baillot  quickly.  "  Go  and  see. ' ' 

"The  saints  be  praised  !"  shouted  Goujet  presently. 
447 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  I  find  here  a  cask  of  biscuit ;  but  the  poor  fellow  had 
no  water.  Now  we'll  cut  this  tackle  adrift,  and  get  under 
way  again  ;  every  minute  counts." 

Before  many  hours  the  unknown  had  so  far  recovered 
himself  as  to  be  able  to  speak.  He  had  been  aboard 
the  brig  Constance  bound  to  America,  he  said.  When 
about  two  weeks  out  the  ship  had  collided  with  an  ice- 
berg ;  her  people  and  the  passengers  had  gone  away  in 
the  ship's  boats ;  he  had  remained  behind  with  the  cap- 
tain, since  there  was  no  room  for  them  in  the  boats. 
Together  they  had  constructed  the  raft  of  casks,  on 
which  they  embarked  with  sufficient  food  and  water  for 
two  weeks,  just  in  time  to  escape  being  dragged  down 
by  the  sinking  vessel.  Unfortunately  on  the  third  day 
their  water-cask  was  swept  away.  Two  days  afterward 
the  captain  went  mad  with  thirst  and  jumped  into  the 
sea.  All  this  they  learned  little  by  little  from  the  frag- 
mentary statements  which  fell  from  the  stranger's  lips. 
Of  his  name  and  identity  he  made  no  mention,  and 
they  forbore  to  question  him.  He  on  his  part  showed 
no  surprise  at  finding  two  men  alone  on  such  a  small 
vessel  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean. 

As  the  days  passed  by  and  his  strength  came  back  to 
him  the  castaway  passed  long  hours  pacing  up  and  down 
the  deck,  his  hands  clasped  behind  his  back,  his  head 
bent  upon  his  breast.  He  did  not  offer  to  help  in  the 
labor  of  sailing  the  vessel,  spoke  to  no  one,  and  ate  what 
was  given  him  without  question  or  comment.  In  short 
he  was  as  one  who  walks  in  his  sleep,  moving,  animate, 
yet  with  a  strange  remoteness  in  the  glance  of  his  dull 
eyes.  Once  only  did  he  rouse  from  his  apathetic  si- 
lence. He  had  paused  in  his  monotonous  tramping 
and  was  looking  out  over  the  ocean  toward  the  sunset 

448 


THE  MAN  ON  THE  RAFT 

with  his  strange  vacant  stare.  Baillot,  after  observing 
him  for  a  moment  in  silence,  said,  "The  weather  holds 
fine,  monsieur ;  another  day  or  two  of  this  and  we  shall 
sight  land. ' ' 

The  man  dropped  his  eyes  slowly  and  opened  his  lips 
as  if  about  to  reply,  then  so  strange  an  expression  swept 
over  his  features  that  Baillot  was  startled.  He  followed 
the  stranger's  gaze,  but  could  see  nothing  more  alarming 
than  his  own  lean  fingers  which  grasped  the  tiller. 

"  What — what !"  gasped  the  old  man.     "  Where — " 

"But  what,  friend?  I  do  not  understand  you." 
Then  he  perceived  that  the  unknown  was  pointing  one 
trembling  finger  at  a  certain  curious  ring  which  he  had 
picked  up  among  the  ruins  of  the  chateau  one  day  and 
which  he  still  wore. 

"That — I  mean  that  /"  said  the  man,  still  staring  at 
the  ring  with  a  ghastly  look.  The  last  word  was  almost 
a  shriek  ;  then  as  if  for  the  first  time,  he  looked  keenly 
about  him,  at  the  vessel,  her  masts,  her  sails,  the  inlaid 
brasswork  about  her  bulwarks.  "  I  am  mad,"  he  mut- 
tered, shaking  his  head.  "  I  am  mad — and  I  dream  it 
all." 

"I  found  this  ring,"  said  Baillot,  almost  as  agitated 
as  the  stranger,  "on  a  strange  island,  where  I  was  ship- 
wrecked with  several  companions  ;  this  vessel  is — ' ' 

"Z' Esperance"  said  the  stranger,  relapsing  into  his 
former  dull  tone.  "  I  knew  it — ah  !"  And  with  along 
sobbing  breath  he  turned  away. 

The  castaway  did  not  speak  again.  And  Baillot,  al- 
though he  longed  to  question  him  respected  the  silence 
in  which  the  unknown  had  wrapped  himself  as  in  a  gar- 
ment. He  said  nothing  to  Goujet  of  what  had  taken 
place,  and  that  worthy  was  too  fully  occupied  with  his 
29  449 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

multitudinous  duties  to  take  much  notice  of  the  eccen- 
tricities of  their  new  passenger. 

"A  lunatic  more  or  less  makes  very  little  difference 
with  a  man's  peace  of  mind — once  you  are  used  to  their 
little  ways,"  he  said  sagely. 

But  Baillot  knew  that  the  stranger  was  not  mad. 

As  for  de  Miguel,  he  remained  below  in  the  quar- 
ters assigned  to  him  quietly  enough.  He  hugged  his 
cask  by  day,  and  pillowed  his  head  upon  it  by  night. 
Sometimes  he  played  for  hours  with  the  gems,  laughing 
and  crooning  to  himself. 

"Let  him  be,"  said  Baillot,  when  Goujet  had  ex- 
pressed a  fear  lest  he  should  lose  or  throw  away  the 
treasure.  "  The  lust  of  that  wretched  cask  has  deprived 
him  of  heaven's  best  gift  to  man,  his  reason  ;  if  he  is 
happy  in  the  possession  of  it,  it  is  but  some  poor  com- 
pensation meted  out  to  him  in  mercy. ' ' 

What  blind  instinct  led  the  Portuguese  to  suddenly 
abandon  his  treasure  one  day  during  the  latter  end  of 
the  voyage  will  never  be  known.  Goujet  had  sighted 
land  that  morning,  and  was  jubilant  in  consequence. 
He  was  trolling  out  some  piratical  ditty  at  the  top  of  his 
voice  as  he  hauled  down  the  topsails ;  Baillot  was  at  the 
helm,  and  the  strange  old  man,  their  passenger,  was 
pacing  up  and  down  as  was  his  wont,  his  head  bent  be- 
fore the  merry  gale,  his  long  white  beard  streaming  out 
upon  the  wind.  There  was  a  good  bit  of  sea  on,  the 
long  dark  green  rollers  crisping  and  breaking  in  clouds 
of  tingling  spray  over  the  bow  of  the  little  vessel. 

"  Sing  aloud,  my  brave  lad,  while  we  follow  like  thee, 
By  bank,  shoal,  and  quicksand,  the  spoils  of  the  sea !" 

shouted  Goujet.     And  the  creaking  of  the  taut  ropes 
45° 


THE  MAN  ON  THE  RAFT 

and   the   dashing   of  the  waves  made  a  brave  accom- 
paniment. 

No  one  observed  the  flabby,  wax-like  countenance 
that  peered  cautiously  out  from  the  companion-way,  nor 
heard  the  words  muttered  in  a  low  hoarse  voice. 

"  It  is  you  then  !  You  have  found  me  at  last,  and  you 
think  that  now  you  will  be  revenged  !  You  will  take  my 
jewels — my  gold ;  mine — mine  !  But  we  shall  see  ;  Jose 
de  Miguel  is  a  cunning  fox,  I  shall — escape. ' '  And  he 
crept  stealthily  away,  laughing  and  muttering  to  himself. 

That  night  the  moon  was  at  her  full,  and  sailing  high 
in  the  cloudless  heavens  made  of  the  foaming  water  that 
swept  away  from  under  the  keel  of  the  flying  yacht  a 
pathway  of  pure  silver,  winding  away  into  the  mysteri- 
ous blue  of  the  night.  To  the  dazed  eyes  of  the  man 
who  watched  it,  it  seemed  to  promise  safety.  "  By  that 
road,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  "I  shall  be  able  to  es- 
cape him.  He  can  never  find  me,  and  my  treasure 
shall  be  mine — mine — mine."  The  moonlight  struck 
sparks  of  fiery  splendor  from  something  which  the  man 
held  hugged  to  his  breast.  He  kissed  the  something 
passionately.  ' '  I  shall  escape  him  by  that  road, ' '  he  re- 
peated, glancing  behind  him  with  a  cunning  smile. 
Then  he  stepped  over  the  rail  onto  the  shining  path- 
way and  was  gone. 

The  next  morning  when  Baillot  visited  the  cabin 
where  de  Miguel  slept,  carrying  with  him  the  man's 
breakfast,  he  saw  that  the  cask  had  been  opened,  and  the 
gold  and  jewels  lay  scattered  about  the  floor.  De  Miguel 
himself  was  missing.  The  yacht  was  hastily  searched 
from  stem  to  stern. 

''Poor  wretch,  he  must  have  fallen  overboard  in  the 
night,"  said  Baillot  sorrowfully. 
45  ! 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"A  good  riddance,"  commented  Goujet  with  a 
shrug. 

Neither  of  them  guessed  that  the  cunning  fellow  had 
selected  with  unerring  instinct  the  most  precious  jewels 
of  them  all,  and  had  made  good  his  escape  by  a  road  of 
pure  silver.  It  is  a  fact  that  neither  he  nor  his  treasure 
was  ever  seen  again.  He  went  doubtless  to  a  place  from 
which  he  did  not  care  to  return. 


452 


CHAPTER  LIV 

IN    PORT 

A  RICH  and  populous  town  was  Boston  toward  the 
end  of  the  seventeenth  century ;  as  many  as  three 
meeting-houses  graced  its  streets,  and  there  was  even 
talk  of  a  fourth.  The  public  buildings  were  fair  and 
handsome,  and  there  were  many  stately  dwellings,  stores 
and  shops  also  in  abundance,  where  the  matrons  and 
maids  could  obtain  that  wherewith  to  make  yet  more 
convincing  the  charms  with  which  nature  had  so  plen- 
tifully endowed  them. 

''Boston,"  writes  an  Englishman  of  discrimination, 
who  visited  the  place  about  this  time,  "has  buildings 
like  to  its  women,  neat  and  handsome.  Its  streets  are 
paved  with  pebbles — like  the  hearts  of  its  men." 

These  paved  streets  all  led,  albeit  in  the  wandering 
and  crooked  paths  trod  a  century  ago  by  the  cattle  and 
the  Indians,  down  toward  the  harbor,  where  were  com- 
modious warehouses  and  busy  wharves,  the  arteries 
through  which  pulsed  the  wealth  of  other  countries,  a 
life-blood  destined  to  make  of  the  sturdy  babe,  as  yet 
unconscious  of  its  future,  the  strong  and  helpful  guardian 
of  the  world. 

Near  one  of  these  wharves  there  lounged  on  a  bright 
day  in  early  spring  a  couple  of  sailors,  just  on  shore 
perhaps  from  one  of  the  tall  brigs  which  lay  at  anchor 
in  the  harbor. 

"  I  ain't  decided  what  I  will  do,"  said  one  of  them 
453 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

slowly,  removing  his  tarpaulin  that  he  might  scratch 
his  grizzled  head.  This  process  having  been  accom- 
plished gravely  and  meditatively  and  to  the  apparent 
enlightenment  of  his  mind,  the  speaker  proceeded  more 
briskly.  "You  see  it's  jest  this  way,  I've  had  dealin's 
in  the  past  what's  determined  me  to  live  a  God-fearin' 
life  from  now  on.  Cap'n  Hornby  of  the  brig  Sally  is 
a  blowed  good  cap'n,  he  knows  his  biz  ;  but  for  vi'lent 
and  bloody  talk  there  ain't  his  ekal  afloat.  'Tain't  edi- 
fyin',  an'  that's  a  fact." 

"Ho,  ho!"  roared  his  companion,  shifting  a  huge 
quid  of  tobacco  in  his  capacious  jaws.  "  You're  turned 
religious  swab,  be  ye?  'Sa'm  singin' — Bible  readin' — 
prayin' — preachin'  an'  whinin' — Ho,  ho!" 

"  Look -a -here,  mate,  you'd  best  jam  her  down  hard, 
and  shift  yer  tack,  or,  b'  thunder,  I'll  polish  down  that 
jaw  of  yourn  in  a  way  you  won't  forgit  in  a  hurry! 
Nobody's  agoin"  to  make  light  o'  religion  while  Jack 
Winters  is  afloat.  You  hear  me  /' ' 

"  I  hear  ye  fast  enough  ;  I  ain't  deaf,"  rejoined  the 
other  sulkily. 

"I've  a  tarnal  good  mind  to  ship  on  the  Christo- 
pher Columbus"  pursued  the  first  speaker  tranquilly. 
"Though  I  ain't  a  mite  of  assurance  that  there's  any 
more  Godliness  aboard  of  her — "  He  paused,  his 
mouth  still  open,  his  eyes  fixed  on  a  small  vessel,  which 
with  canvas  half-set  was  slipping  quietly  into  the  bay. 
"  Shiver  my  timbers  !"  he  ejaculated  violently  ;  then  he 
whipped  out  his  glass  and  studied  the  vessel  carefully 
for  a  full  minute. 

His  companion  stared  at  him  in  amazement.  "  What 
in  perdition,"  he  began.  But  Winters  was  gone,  push- 
ing and  elbowing  his  way  among  the  various  persons 
454 


IN  PORT 

and  objects  that  intervened  between  himself  and  the 
end  of  the  wharf.  "That  old  swab  is  a  dummed  ijit !" 
muttered  his  companion.  "  Kinder  lost  his  wits  over- 
board 'n  his  last  cruise,  I  reckon."  With  which  con- 
clusive remark,  this  excellent  seafaring  man,  with  whom 
we  have  no  further  concern,  wended  his  way  toward  the 
sign  of  The  Blue  Dolphin,  where  he  proceeded  to  get 
gloriously  drunk,  though  it  was  only  ten  o'clock  in  the 
morning. 

In  the  meantime  his  companion  had  reached  his  goal, 
and  from  the  coign  of  vantage  afforded  him  by  a  pile 
of  boxes,  again  surveyed  the  schooner,  whose  appear- 
ance in  the  Boston  harbor  had  so,  as  he  expressed  it, 
"flabbergasted"  him. 

"It  is — it  is  !"  he  repeated  in  an  ecstasy.  "Thar 
ain't  no  bloomin'  doubt  of  it  !  But  who's  aboard  her? 
how'd  she  come  here  ?  By  the  'Sa'ms  of  David  !  won't 
a  certain  little  miss  I  knows  of  open  her  eyes  if — 
They're  a  clewin'  down  !  Say,  b'  thunder  !  I  ain't  a 
goin'  to  wait  for  'em  to  come  ashore  !  I'm  a  goin'  to 
board  her. ' '  And  he  scrambled  down  from  his  perch 
with  surprising  alacrity,  and  hailing  one  of  the  boats 
which  were  plying  about  near  the  wharf,  very  quickly 
concluded  a  financial  arrangement  with  its  owner  which 
sent  him  skimming  along  toward  the  schooner. 

"Lay  to  along  side  of  her!"  he  commanded. 
"Yacht  ahoy  !"  he  roared. 

Now  it  happened  that  Baillot  was  for  the  moment 
below,  securing  the  cask,  concerning  which  he  was 
greatly  troubled,  while  Goujet  was  engaged  in  making 
everything  snug  about  the  sails  and  tackle. 

"Yacht  ahoy!"  repeated  Winters;  then  without 
waiting  for  an  invitation,  he  seized  a  bit  of  rope  that 
455 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

hung  over  the  side  and  quietly  stepped  onto  the 
deck. 

"  I  say,  mate,  can  you  tell  me  how  this 'ere  craft  got 
into  these  parts?  I've  seed  her  before — ay,  an'  sailed 
her."  He  addressed  this  remark  to  a  singular-looking 
man  who  stood  looking  shoreward.  This  person  did  not 
appear  to  have  heard  him,  for  he  paid  no  attention  to  the 
question. 

Goujet,  who  had  caught  a  part  of  what  the  new  arri- 
val was  saying,  now  descended  to  the  deck. 

"  By  the  cut  of  your  jib,"  began  the  old  sailor  judi- 
cially, "you  ain't  likely  to  be  able  to  talk  much  ex- 
cept gibberish,  an'  that  I  don't  understand  and  don't 
want  to.  But  if  you  can  answer  an  honest  God- 
fearin'  man,  I'd  like  ye  to  tell  me  if  you  know  any- 
thing of  the  whereabouts  of  a  likely  young  sailor  lad 
named  Baillot?" 

"  What  might  be  your  business  with  him  ?"  said  Gou- 
jet. " — Supposing  I  knew  any  such  person,"  he  added 
cautiously. 

"  Consarn  ye  !  what  be  you  yawin'  and  tackin'  about  ? 
Jack  Winters  ain't  the  man  to — " 

' '  Winters  ?  Did  you  say  your  name  was  Winters  ?  Man 
dieu,  what  a  strange  thing  to  happen  ! — Stay,  he  is  be- 
low," and  without  another  word  Goujet  vanished,  to 
reappear  almost  instantly  followed  by  Baillot. 

There  was  no  need  of  any  further  explanation  on  the 
part  of  Goujet,  who  stood  and  looked  on  delightedly 
while  the  two  clasped  hands  with  many  a  fervent  but 
inarticulate  ejaculation. 

"  Now  if  this  'ere  ain't  a  speshul  providence — as  our 
good  parson  says — then  I  don't  know  whar  you'd  look 
for  one,"  cried  Winters,  blowing  a  violent  blast  with  a 
45  6 


IN  PORT 

great  red  and  yellow  handkerchief.  "I  seed  Miss  Made- 
line last  night,  an'  I  sez — " 

' '  What  ?     She  is  not— dead — then  ?' ' 

"  Dead  !  Lord  love  ye,  sir,  no  !  Whar'd  ye  git  such 
a  redic'lus  notion  as  that.  Bloomin'  as  a  rose  !  My  ! 
jest  wait  till  you  clap  your  eyes  onto  her  ! ' ' 

Strange  to  say  Baillot  experienced  a  decided  qualm  at 
these  words.  "  She  does  not  care  for  me,"  he  thought 
dejectedly. 

"  Who's  yonder  old  party  ?' '  pursued  Winters  in  a  loud 
whisper,  glancing  at  the  stranger,  who  had  begun  to 
walk  up  and  down  the  deck  after  his  custom,  his  eyes 
still  fixed  on  the  busy  docks. 

"  I  don't  know  his  name,"  began  Baillot,  suddenly 
realizing  the  situation  of  the  unfortunate  man,  old  and 
alone,  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  and  destitute  of 
everything  save  the  wretched  rags  with  which  he  was 
clothed.  Then  he  glanced  down  at  his  own  person  and 
groaned  aloud.  "  I  am  a  ragged  beggar, "  he  thought 
bitterly.  "  I  cannot  see  her  after  all." 

"  Here  are  fifty  pistoles  that  belong  to  you,  master," 
said  Goujet  in  a  low  tone.  He  had  been  watching  the 
young  man's  face  and  guessed  shrewdly  at  his  thoughts. 

"Thar  ain't  no  manner  of  doubt  in  my  mind  as  to 
what  you're  goin'  to  do,"  quoth  Winters,  slapping  his 
leg  violently.  "You'll  git  tidied  up  a  bit — for  it  might 
scare  the  women -folks  to  see  ye,  the  way  ye  be  now — 
after  that  we'll  crack  on  all  sail  and  make  for  a  port 
where  you  can  drop  anchor  for  a  spell.  Why,  Lord  love 
ye,  lad  !  I  wouldn't  dare  show  my  face  thar  an'  tell 
'em  I'd  found  ye,  but  that  you  was  off  a  cruisin'  around 
promiscuous  like.  They'd  never  forgive  me  !  These 
•ere  gentlemen  '11  come  along  in  course.  The  craft  we 
457 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

can  leave  in  charge  of  a  friend  of  mine  till  we  make  up 
our  minds  what  to  do  with  her." 

"She  belongs,  I  suppose,  to  the  heirs  of  de  Miguel, 
since  the  unfortunate  man  is  no  more,"  said  Baillot 
thoughtfully. 

"De  Miguel!  that  fat,  black  fellow  at  Terciora? 
Did  ye  git  in  with  him?  The  consarndest  scoundrel 
afloat !  Wall,  wall !  I  see  we've  got  a  power  of  talkin' 
to  do  ;  but  the  rest  of  'em  '11  want  to  hear  it,  so  come 
on!" 

The  house  of  Madame  de  Langres,  situated  in  the  out- 
skirts of  Boston,  was  a  sufficiently  roomy  and  comfort- 
able structure.  Built  of  rough-hewn  stone  in  a  frame- 
work of  wood,  and  surrounded  by  grass-plots  and  gar- 
den spaces,  it  was  shut  off  from  the  highway  by  a  low 
paling,  which  gleamed  in  a  coat  of  fresh  whitewash 
against  its  background  of  greenery.  By  day  the  spotless 
windows  with  their  fresh  muslin  curtains  and  the  pots  of 
scarlet  geranium  on  their  sills  presented  an  attractive 
picture  to  the  passer-by,  by  night  the  same  clear  panes 
sent  forth  long  beams  of  ruddy  fire  and  candle-light 
cheerful  to  behold. 

Madame  de  Langres  was  already  well  and  favorably 
known  in  the  community.  Not  only  was  she  a  discreet 
and  personable  lady,  and  most  devout  in  matters  of  reli- 
gion, but  she  was  also  reported  to  have  a  very  pretty 
hand  at  concocting  divers  medicaments  and  cordials 
which  she  dispensed  among  the  needy  with  an  open 
hand.  Of  her  worldly  estate  no  more  need  be  said, 
since  it  had  transpired  that  the  title-deeds,  which  were 
beyond  a  doubt  lawfully  executed,  gave  her  possession 
of  certain  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  already  of 
great  value.  As  to  her  nationality,  a  French  Papist  was 
458 


IN  PORT 

one  thing  and  an  abomination  ;  but  a  Huguenot  exiled 
from  home  on  account  of  religious  purism  was  quite  an- 
other. The  nationality  might  well  be  looked  over. 

Certain  grave  and  thrifty  youths  of  Puritan  stock  had 
been  seen  to  cast  glances  of  fervent  admiration  on  the 
beautiful  Madeline,  who  bloomed  amid  her  new  sur- 
roundings, as  Winters  had  declared,  like  a  rose.  One 
of  these  excellent  young  men  had  actually  made  propo- 
sals for  the  hand  of  the  maiden  in  marriage,  and  on 
this  very  evening  the  question  was  being  gravely  and 
delicately  discussed  ;  Madame  de  Langres,  her  son,  and 
the  excellent  Constantin  Dinant  being  gathered  before 
the  genial  glow  of  the  fireside  in  the  roomy  "keeping- 
room  ' '  of  the  house. 

"This  youth,  John  Winthrop,  is  a  godly  and  sober 
young  man,  well-reputed  in  all  things,  and  of  high 
standing  in  the  community,"  quoth  the  good  pastor, 
smiling  and  rubbing  his  hands  together  genially.  "It 
is  a  right  and  a  good  thing  that  our  youths  and  maidens 
should  unite  themselves  in  the  holy  bonds  of  wedlock 
with  the  excellent  folk  we  find  here.  Surely  we  cannot 
hope — nor  indeed  would  it  be  desirable — to  keep  our- 
selves a  separate  people  in  the  land. ' ' 

"Our  pastor  has  spoken,  daughter,"  said  Madame 
de  Langres,  glancing  tenderly  at  Madeline,  who  with 
downcast  eyes  was  rapidly  plying  her  knitting-needles. 
"I  also  think  well  of  the  matter;  what  say  you,  my 
child?" 

"  I  cannot  listen  to  it,  dear  mother,"  said  the  young 
girl,  rising  quickly  and  laying  down  her  work  with 
fingers  which  trembled  visibly.  "  I  cannot — "  and  with 
a  sound  suspiciously  like  a  sob,  she  turned  and  fled 
away. 

459 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"What  ails  the  maiden?"  asked  Constantin  Dinant 
in  astonishment.  ''Surely  we  have  no  wish  to  force 
her  inclinations,  but  it  is  a  pity  that  she  cannot  look 
reasonably  at  this  marriage.  Do  you  know  of  any 
reason  why  she  should  decline  the  honor  of  this 
alliance  ?' ' 

' '  The  honor  would  not  be  all  on  one  side, ' '  quoth 
Madame  de  Langres  statelily. 

Oblivious  to  the  consternation  which  her  words  had 
caused,  the  young  girl  had  escaped  to  the  chilly  fresh- 
ness of  the  moonlit  night ;  clad  in  her  long  scarlet 
mantle,  she  paced  rapidly  up  and  down  the  garden 
paths.  An  apple  tree  in  full  bloom  stood  shivering  in 
the  cold  wind  that  blew  from  off  the  water,  shedding 
its  odorous  blossoms  in  showers  upon  the  damp  grass  ;  a 
gust  of  the  rosy  petals,  soft  and  chill  as  snow-flakes, 
drifted  into  the  young  girl's  face.  She  brushed  them 
away  with  an  impatient  gesture. 

' '  How  dare  he  ?' '  she  murmured  with  an  angry 
blush.  "  But  I  will  never  marry  him — never  !" 

Somewhere  down  the  road  she  could  hear  the  sound 
of  footsteps,  and  presently  the  dark  figures  of  four 
men  tramping  along  in  the  moonlight  came  into 
view.  They  approached  the  gate,  paused  a  moment, 
then  entered. 

The  young  girl  drew  back  into  the  shadow  of  some 
flowering  shrubs.  She  had  no  mind  to  return  to  the 
brightly-lighted  room  ;  she  feared  lest  this  might  be  the 
Puritan,  John  Winthrop,  come  for  his  answer.  She  did 
not  look  out  from  her  hiding-place  as  the  new-comers 
passed,  and  wandered  away  again  into  the  garden  closes 
as  soon  as  the  great  door  had  shut  behind  them.  Half 
an  hour  later  it  opened  and  the  figure  of  a  man  came 
460 


IN  PORT 

out  alone.  He  hesitated  a  moment,  then  walked  slowly 
down  the  path  to  where  a  tall  slender  figure  stood  quietly 
in  the  brilliant  white  .light. 

"  It  will  be  John  Winthrop,"  thought  the  girl,  hard- 
ening her  heart.  "  Well,  and  he  shall  have  his  answer." 
She  turned  resolutely  toward  the  approaching  figure. 

"Yes — it  is  I,"  said  Baillot,  in  his  deep  grave  voice. 
"You  did  not  expect  to  see  me  !"  Something  in  the 
lovely  appealing  face  of  the  maiden  spoke  to  his  heart 
more  certainly  than  words.  ' '  Madeline  ! ' ' 

— But  surely  it  would  be  unkind  if  we  stop  longer. 
For  all  the  long  months  of  parting  and  loneliness  and 
fear,  this  one  hour  in  the  moonlit  garden  will  more 
than  suffice.  If  there  be  those  who  would  fain  hide 
behind  the  blossoming  lilac  bushes  and  listen  to  every 
word  the  two  lovers  are  saying,  I  must  tell  you  that  you 
will  be  far  better  off  inside  by  the  cheerful  hearth,  where 
a  brisk  fire  of  questioning,  explanation  and  congratula- 
tion is  in  progress. 

"A  curiouser  lot  of  happenin's  it  'ud  be  hard  to 
hear  tell  on,"  declared  Winters;  "but  I  don't  see  as 
thar's  any  light  on  the  matter  after  all.  I'd  like  mighty 
well  to  know  who  put  up  all  them  fine  buildin's  on  that 
island." 

' '  I  should  rather  know  who  lived  there, ' '  said  Madame 
de  Langres,  "  and  what  became  of  them." 

"Yes,  and  who  carried  off  the  Comte  de  Lantenac, 
and  why  ?' '  added  St.  Andr6  meditatively  ;  "  that  is  one 
of  the  things  that  I  cannot  understand. ' ' 

"  And  what  that  infernal  rascal,  de  Miguel,  had  to  do 
with  it  all  ?' '  said  Goujet,  who  felt  quite  at  his  ease  in 
this  genial  atmosphere. 

"For  my  part  I  have  thought  much  concerning  the 
461 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

strange  sight  which  we  saw  in  that  underground  cham- 
ber," put  in  Constantin  Dinant.  "The  vision  of  the 
dead  man  sitting  alone  in  that  great  chair,  the  breeze 
stirring  his  locks  to  a  ghastly  semblance  of  life  has  often 
recurred  to  me  since,  and  never  without  a  strong  desire 
to  know  his  past  history. ' ' 

"And  I,"  said  Madeline,  who  had  entered  unper- 
ceived  followed  by  the  young  Comte  de  Lantenac, 
"would  like  to  know  to  whom  mother  and  I  were  in- 
debted for  all  the  gowns  and  plenishings  we  were  forced 
to  make  so  free  with  during  our  sojourn  on  the  island." 
Then  feeling  her  lover's  fingers  close  upon  her's  with  a 
warning  pressure  she  glanced  up  at  him  quickly.  His 
eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  strange  old  man  who  had  ac- 
companied them  hither.  Up  to  the  present  moment 
this  personage  had  sat  almost  unnoticed  in  the  great 
arm-chair  which  Madame  de  Langres  had  hospitably 
placed  for  him.  Amid  all  the  joyful  talk,  conjecture 
and  wonderment  he  had  sat  gloomily  silent,  but  now  on 
a  sudden  he  sat  upright  and  raised  one  tremulous  hand 
imperatively. 

"  I  pray  you  of  your  kindness  to  listen  to  what  I  shall 
say.  I  am  an  old  man  ;  my  days  are  almost  spent  and 
before  I  go  hence  I  would  fain  speak  once  more  of  the 
strange  happenings  of  my  life.  Of  all  that  has  been 
meted  out  to  me  in  the  providence  of  the  Most  High 
I  think  there  has  been  nothing  more  marvellous  than 
that  I  should  find  myself  surrounded  by  those  to  whom 
my  very  existence  is  unknown,  and  yet  who  have  been 
unwittingly  entangled  in  the  same  strange  web  of 
fate." 

Every  eye  was  fixed  upon  the  speaker  in  intense  curi- 
osity commingled  with  awe.  A  deep  silence  followed 
462 


IN  PORT 

his  words,  broken  only  by  the  singing  of  the  flames  in 
the  chimney,  and  the  slight  rustling  of  the  robes  of  the 
women  as  they  leant  forward  toward  the  strange  figure 
in  the  great  chair. 


403 


CHAPTER  LV 

THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

THE  silence  had  at  length  grown  almost  painful,  when 
the  unknown  again  raised  his  hand.  "  My  strength  is 
failing  me,"  he  said  feebly,  "  I  must  speak  briefly  of 
what  is  a  long  tale — yes,  and  sorrowful  above  most ;  a 
tale  of  terror,  of  injustice,  of  misery,  and  ending,  I  fear 
me,  in  the  black  night  of  oblivion.  You  will  not  wish 
to  bruit  abroad  what  I  shall  say  ;  there  is  no  need  that  I 
ask  you  to  keep  my  bitter  secret — the  bitterest  and 
the  blackest  of  all  the  century  ;  but  I  desire  that  the 
matter  be  briefly  set  forth  in  order,  as  I  shall  tell  it, 
and  that  the  writing  be  hidden  away  and  preserved  till 
such  time  as  it  can  safely  be  made  known.  '  There  is 
nothing  hidden  that  shall  not  be  made  known,'  even  in 
this  earth ;  and  those  who  are  yet  to  live  shall  know 
what  it  were  death  to  breathe  in  any  other  air  save  this 
of  the  new  world. 

"  It  once  made  my  heart  beat  high  to  think  that  I  was 
the  friend  of  a  king  ;  not  a  slave,  not  a  political  favorite, 
scarcely  a  courtier,  but  a  friend. 

"  '  Heaven  has  sent  me  many  things,'  my  royal  mas- 
ter would  sometimes  say  to  me  with  a  sigh,  when  we 
chanced  to  be  alone,  '  and  has  set  me  in  a  high  place — 
too  high  I  sometimes  think  for  my  good — and  after  all 
what  does  it  profit ;  I  can  be  sure  of  nothing  that  I  see  ; 
even  my  mother  does  not  love  me.  I  am  the  loneliest 
soul  in  all  France.' 

464 


THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

"  This  was  only  at  odd  moments,  at  other  times  Louis 
XIII.  was  the  king,  greedy  of  pleasure,  haughty,  false, 
vain.  Yes,  I  saw  all  of  his  faults  plainly  enough,  but  I 
also  saw — what  he  revealed  to  no  one  else  in  all  the 
world — his  naked  soul,  the  soul  of  an  unhappy,  lonely 
man.  I  loved  him  ;  and  what  is  more  he  knew  that  I 
loved  him.  He  offered  me  many  honors,  much  gold, 
and  dazzling  preferments.  But  I  did  not  care  for  such 
things ;  I  had  witnessed  the  rise  and  fall  of  de  Luynes, 
the  fate  of  Marshal  d'Ancre  and  his  heroic  wife,  the 
assassination  of  Concini,  and  I  said  to  my  royal  master, 
'  If  I  accept  these  things  at  your  hands,  you  will  after- 
ward fear  me ;  and  from  fear  to  hate  there  is  but  a 
single  step.  I  love  you,  sire,  and  you  honor  me  with 
your  confidence — ' 

' '  '  Nay,  nay, '  he  would  say,  '  more  than  that,  I  love 
thee ;  thou  art  my  friend — my  one  friend.'  And  this 
was  enough  for  me.  I  held  the  post  of  private  gentle- 
man in  waiting  to  the  king,  and  my  relations  to  him 
.were  quite  unnoticed  by  the  courtiers  in  their  mad 
scramble  for  the  uppermost  places  in  the  king's  favor. 

"The  queen,  the  lovely  Anne  of  Austria,  treated 
me  haughtily  enough  ;  she  suspected  me  of  an  enmity 
of  which,  heaven  knows,  I  was  entirely  innocent. 
As  for  the  great  Cardinal  Richelieu,  he  once  thought  to 
make  me  his  tool  because  of  my  access  to  the  king's 
ear.  But  after  an  hour's  interview  he  exclaimed,  '  Thou 
art  a  stupid  dolt ;  an'  hast  wit  enough  to  brush  the  king's 
habit  'tis  a  marvel !'  He  never  troubled  me  again,  nor 
I  him  ;  I  feared  him.  But  he  was  a  great  man — a  great 
man,  and  one  who  had  the  best  interests  of  the  king- 
dom at  heart.  I  saw  that  even  then.  But  the  king  also 
feared  him,  and  he  hated  him  as  much  as  he  feared. 
3°  465 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

' '  I  remember  me  well  of  the  scene  between  Mary  de 
Medici,  the  queen-mother,  and  Richelieu  in  presence 
of  the  king.  The  king  could  not  conceal  his  pleasure  in 
the  abuse  which  the  infuriated  woman  heaped  upon  the 
cardinal.  It  was  thought  that  his  fall  was  inevitable ; 
the  courtiers  were  mad  with  joy.  But  Louis  hesitated. 
*  Wouldst  thou  down  him  ?'  he  said  to  me,  biting  his 
nails  savagely,  as  he  walked  up  and  down  his  cabinet 
at  Versailles. 

"  'Who  could  take  his  place?'  I  asked. 

"  'Ay,  that  is  the  question.  The  man  is  hateful  to 
me,  but  I  fear — I  fear — '  That  very  night  he  sent  for 
the  cardinal,  and  it  was  all  made  up  betwixt  them,  to 
the  discomfiture  of  the  queen-mother,  who  was  soon 
afterward  made  a  sort  of  prisoner  of  state  at  Com- 
piegne. 

"All  these  things  are  known  to  you,  for  they  are 
matters  of  history ;  but  what  I  have  to  tell  you  has  not 
to  do  with  history  as  it  is  written  down  by  the  court 
chronicler,  but  rather  as  it  is  recorded  in  those  books 
which  shall  one  day  be  opened  before  the  great  white 
throne  of  the  King  of  kings,  where  all  secrets  shall  be 
laid  open. 

"  It  was  some  years  after  this  '  Day  of  Dupes,'  as  it 
has  since  been  called,  when  the  king  was  walking,  ac- 
cording to  his  pleasure  and  custom,  in  the  park  at  Ver- 
sailles. Through  the  mediation  of  Richelieu  the  queen 
had  become  reconciled  to  her  husband,  and  the  court 
and  the  nation  were  rejoicing  in  the  marvellous  news 
that  after  twenty  years  of  childless  union  there  was  at 
length  prospect  of  an  heir  to  the  throne.  Louis  was  in 
unusually  good  spirits  and  talked  and  laughed  freely 
with  his  courtiers,  but  it  chanced  that  after  a  time  he 
466 


THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

and  I  were  for  the  moment  separated  from  the  others. 
The  king  turned  to  me  with  a  laugh. 

"  '  I  am  like  a  honey-pot,  plagued  with  a  swarm  of 
flies,'  quoth  he.  '  Let  us  give  them  the  slip,  for  I  am 
weary  of  their  idle  chatter.'  As  he  said  this  he  was 
hurrying  down  one  of  the  close-clipped  alleys  of 
greenery,  still  laughing  to  himself. 

' '  I  followed  closely  at  his  heels,  for  although  I  was 
loath  to  cross  his  humor,  I  knew  that  the  thing  was 
scarcely  right.  After  threading  two  or  three  of  the 
hedge-grown  walks  the  king  stopped  under  a  great 
chestnut  tree,  which  spread  its  green  branches  above 
our  heads  all  crowned  with  spires  of  snowy  blossoms, 
like  a  chandelier  set  with  waxlights — for  this  was  in 
May,  as  I  well  remember.  He  drew  a  long  breath  of 
pleasure  as  he  looked  up,  then  threw  himself  down  on 
the  green  sward.  '  Look  not  so  solemn,  I  pray  thee, 
good  friend  !'  he  said,  laughing  at  my  sober  face.  '  I 
am  but  a  sorry  monarch  if  I  cannot  rid  myself  of  the 
irksome  observance  of  court  at  my  pleasure.'  With 
that  he  began  to  hum  a  little  air  under  his  breath, 
pulling  up  the  tiny  flowers  that  nestled  in  the  turf 
and  looking  at  them  as  if  they  were  something  new  to 
his  eyes. 

"  I  still  stood  gazing  down  at  him,  feeling  somewhat 
troubled  by  his  unwonted  freak,  and  yet  sympathizing 
heartily  with  his  weariness  of  the  courtiers  and  their 
perpetual  flatteries,  when  suddenly  the  branches  of  the 
hedge  parted  and  a  strange  figure  broke  through.  I 
started  forward  with  a  cry,  but  stopped,  when  I  saw 
that  it  was  only  a  woman — and  a  very  diminutive  one 
at  that.  As  for  the  king  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  laid 
his  hand  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword. 
467 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"  '  Do  not  draw  on  a  poor  defenseless  body  who  has 
not  strength  to  harm  a  fly,'  said  the  woman,  in  a  strange 
low  voice  that  somehow  had  a  ring  of  authority  in  it. 
'  I  have  a  word  for  you,  sire,  and  you  will  do  well  to 
heed  it.  On  the  fifth  day  of  September  there  will  be 
born  to  you  a  son,  on  whose  breast  shall  appear  the  like- 
ness of  a  blood-red  hand.  Blood  for  blood.  Ay — and 
a  sorry  day  shall  it  be  for  the  father  of  that  child  when 
he  shall  proclaim  it  heir  to  the  throne  of  France  ;  few 
and  troubled  shall  be  his  days.  The  prince  of  the 
bloody  hand  shall  bring  death  into  life.'  With  that  she 
drew  back  into  the  shrubbery  and  was  gone. 

"  I  stood  as  if  struck  dumb  ;  but  the  king  fell  into  a 
great  trembling,  and  yet  withal  he  raged  with  anger  as 
I  had  never  before  heard  him.  '  The  hag  shall  die  for 
that  word,'  he  said  in  a  smothered  voice;  'and  they 
that  taught  her  that  vile  saying  shall  perish  with  her  ! ' 
He  would  have  dashed  into  the  wood  after  the  woman, 
but  that  I  held  him  back. 

"The  whole  domain  of  Versailles  was  presently 
searched  from  one  end  to  the  other,  and  the  town  and 
the  country  side  for  miles  around,  and  that  without 
delay ;  but  the  woman  was  not  found,  nor  was  she  ever 
again  heard  of. 

"The  king  called  me  to  him  that  night  in  private, 
and  said,  '  The  thing  that  the  woman  said  to  me  shall 
not  become  public ;  it  would  come  to  the  ears  of  the 
queen  and  cause  a  great  mischief.  Swear  to  me  that 
you  will  not  tell  it.'  I  swore  right  gladly,  kissing  the 
king's  hand  which  he  graciously  held  out  to  me. 

"The  subject  was  not  again  mentioned  between  us, 
and  I  had  all  but  forgotten  the  circumstance,  when  one 
evening  it  was  announced  that  the  queen's  time  had 
468 


THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

come.  By  the  command  of  Louis,  very  few  were  in 
attendance,  the  court  being  assembled  in  the  anteroom, 
awaiting  with  what  anxiety  may  be  imagined,  the  royal 
announcement.  I  remained  alone  in  a  small  side- 
chamber,  at  the  special  request  of  my  master.  The 
queen's  favorite  woman  was  with  her  mistress.  Before 
many  hours  had  passed  the  king  came  to  me  in  a  state 
of  uncontrollable  agitation.  '  The  curse  has  come  upon 
me, '  he  muttered  hoarsely ;  '  but  there  is  a  way  out,  and 
I  shall  take  it. ' 

"  Half  an  hour  later  Louis  XIII.  presented  to  the 
court  an  heir  to  the  throne  of  France,  the  Dauphin, 
afterward  Louis  XIV.  There  was  great  rejoicing,  ring- 
ing of  bells,  firing  of  cannon  and  thanksgivings  in  all 
the  churches.  The  infant  prince  was  a  strong  and 
healthy  child,  a  wonderful  babe,  a  true  heaven-sent 
prince  ! 

"Amid  the  general  excitement  no  one  noticed  that 
the  private  gentleman  in  waiting  to  the  king  had  sud- 
denly disappeared  from  his  post,  nor  yet  that  the  queen's 
favorite  woman — whom  very  few  liked  and  many  envied 
— was  also  missing.  Or  if  any  questions  were  asked 
they  were  easily  enough  answered.  The  man  had  had 
the  misfortune  to  offend,  and  was  therefore  relegated  to 
the  darkness  outside  the  court.  The  court  shrugged  its 
shoulders  and  straightway — forgot.  As  for  the  woman, 
it  was  time  she  was  put  out  of  the  way  ;  she  was  a  mis- 
chief-maker, a  spy,  a  hypocrite. 

"  What  then  had  befallen  the  king's  friend  and  the 
queen's  waiting- woman  ?  They  had  been  suddenly  and 
secretly  removed  in  the  dead  of  night  to  a  stronghold 
belonging  to  the  king.  The  man  was  silent ;  the  woman 
wept  with  fear.  She  carried  moreover  in  her  arms, 
469 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

something  that  stirred  feebly  in  its  wrappings  and 
wailed  fitfully.  The  man  looked  upon  the  child  by  the 
light  of  a  taper,  and  behold,  it  bore  upon  its  breast  the 
likeness  of  a  blood-red  hand  !  The  woman  shook  as  if 
with  palsy.  'There  were  two,'  she  whispered,  'but 
this  one  came  first ;  I  swear  that  it  did.  What  does  it 
all  mean?' 

"She  knew  the  next  day  when  the  king  visited  the 
pair  in  private.  He  glanced  at  the  child,  sleeping 
quietly  enough  in  the  arms  of  the  queen's  waiting- 
woman,  and  a  strong  convulsion  swept  over  his  features. 
The  woman  looked  up  at  him  boldly.  '  What  does  this 
mean,  sire?'  she  said.  'This  is  the  heir;  it  came  into 
the  world  a  full  five  minutes  before  the  other.  I  can 
swear  to  it.' 

"' For  all  that,  this  is  not  the  heir,'  said  the  king 
harshly.  '  I  have  said  it,  and  so  it  shall  be.  And 
after  all  what  harm  ?' — relapsing  into  his  usual  easy 
humor,  and  pacing  up  and  down  the  room,  his  hands 
clasped  behind  his  back — 'The  other  is  the  stronger 
child,  the  better  favored.  Why  should  a  paltry  five 
minutes  make  one  the  king,  the  other  a  mere  nobody  ? 
Assuredly  I  have  the  right  to  say  which  shall  be  my 
successor,  and  I  have  chosen.  This  shall  be  your 
charge.  You  two  shall  have  this  child ;  I  give  him  to 
you.  And  the  better  to  bind  you  to  your  duty  a  priest 
shall  make  you  one. — Nay,  no  protests,  no  denials;  it 
shall  be  as  I  have  said.' 

"  With  that  he  flung  open  the  door  and  a  dark  figure, 
clad  in  the  habit  of  a  Jesuit  priest,  glided  into  the  room. 
At  a  gesture  from  the  king  we  two  stood  up  mechani- 
cally— the  woman  still  holding  the  unconscious  babe  in 
her  arms,  and  we  were  wed ;  assuredly  the  strangest 
470 


THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

bridal  that  ever  took  place  on  earth.  The  brief  cere- 
mony concluded  the  priest  at  once  withdrew.  The  king 
looked  on  us  as  we  stood  there  dumb  in  his  presence, 
and  his  face  hardened  visibly. 

"'Why  do  you  not  thank  me  for  your  bride?'  he 
cried  with  a  harsh  laugh.  '  It  is  not  to  every  low-born 
page  and  waiting-woman  that  the  king  does  such  honor. ' 
Then  as  we  made  him  no  answer — which  indeed  he 
could  hardly  have  expected — he  went  on,  bringing  his 
closed  fist  down  into  his  open  hand.  '  Your  maintenance 
shall  be  suited  to  your  rank  and  the  rank  of  your  child. 
It  is  not  necessary  for  me  to  tell  you  that  the  blood -red 
hand  upon  the  breast  of  the  child  must  forever  lie  upon 
your  mouths.  Prate  of  this  matter  and  such  a  vengeance 
shall  descend  upon  your  heads  as  shall  effectually  silence 
you.' 

"He  turned  as  if  to  leave  the  room.  Seeing  this  I 
recovered  my  wits  a  little  and  flung  myself  down  at  his 
feet.  I  know  not  what  wild  words  I  cried  out.  I  re- 
minded him  of  my  long  devotion,  of  my  love  for  him, 
of  the  injustice  to  the  helpless  babe.  She  that  was  now 
my  wife  knelt  beside  me,  weeping  and  holding  up  the 
child,  which  awakening,  added  its  feeble  wail. 

"  '  I  have  forgotten  nothing, '  the  king  made  answer. 
' — Nay,  rather  I  have  remembered  ;  but  so  it  must  be, 
the  interests  of  the  kingdom  demand  the  sacrifice. 
Should  the  child  die — but  no,  he  must  live  out  his  al- 
lotted time.'  And  throwing  out  his  hand  in  a  gesture 
of  loathing  toward  the  innocent  cause  of  all  this  trouble, 
he  turned  and  left  the  room.  Nor  did  we  ever  see  him 
more. 

"  We  were  kept  close  prisoners  in  the  place  where  we 
were  for  more  than  a  year,  being  never  allowed  speech 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

with  any  one  outside — nor  inside  for  that  matter.  The 
time  passed  wearily  enough ;  though  after  awhile  our 
mutual  society,  which  at  first  was  very  distasteful  to  us 
both,  became  less  irksome.  Nay,  perhaps  because  of 
the  dreadful  bond  which  united  us,  we  became  more 
than  ordinarily  fond  of  one  another. ' ' 

The  speaker  paused,  as  if  lost  in  painful  retrospect. 
No  one  of  the  group  assembled  about  the  fire  ventured 
to  disturb  him.  Indeed  to  more  than  one  of  them  the 
mystery  was  a  mystery  no  longer,  though  there  were 
still  many  things  to  be  explained. 

At  length  the  stranger  sighed  heavily,  and  rousing 
himself  with  a  visible  effort  looked  about  the  circle  of 
faces,  a  kindly  light  shining  in  his  deep  eyes.  "  It  hath 
warmed  my  heart  to  speak  of  these  matters  to  you, ' '  he 
said  slowly.  Then  his  face  darkened  again  with  pain 
" — If  only  I  knew  what  had  become  of  him  !"  he  mur- 
mured. "  Ah,  well !  in  God's  good  time,  he  shall  come 
into  his  kingdom."  As  if  comforted  by  this  thought, 
he  went  on  with  his  narrative. 

"  For  more  than  a  year,  as  I  have  said,  we  were  kept 
close  prisoners  in  the  tower,  the  name  and  exact  loca- 
tion of  which  we  were  still  ignorant  of.  My  wife  often 
implored  me  with  tears  to  devise  some  way  of  escaping ; 
this  was  manifestly  impossible,  as  she  very  well  knew, 
still  none  the  less  did  she  urge  me  with  all  unreason,  and 
with  upbraidings  hard  to  be  borne. 

"  '  Thou  art  afraid  !'  she  would  cry  with  bitter  scorn. 
'^  man?  Pah  !  thou  are  as  nerveless  as  this  babe  !' 
Then  she  would  fall  to  weeping  over  the  infant,  kissing 
his  tiny  hands  and  murmuring  fond  foolish  words  in  his 
tiny  ear ;  and  the  child,  by  this  time  being  grown  a 
lusty  babe,  would  crow  and  laugh  and  caress  her  in  turn. 

472 


THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

"What  with  the  knowledge  of  his  wrongs,  and  the 
beauty  and  intelligence  of  the  child,  with  his  innocent, 
unknowing  joy  in  life,  unfolding  so  strangely  and  darkly 
before  him,  there  grew  up  in  our  hearts  a  mighty  love 
for  him,  such  as  I  believe  fathers  and  mothers  in  the  happy 
outside  world  never  know.  Yet  was  this  love  com- 
mingled with  such  fear  for  his  future,  and  such  hopeless 
anger  at  his  fate,  that  it  was  more  like  bitter  pain  than 
like  joy;  it  caused  me  to  fall  into  strange  fits  of  gloom  and 
anger,  and  my  wife  to  weep  womanwise,at  which  the  child 
marveled  and  was  often  sad  as  he  grew  older,  being  at  a 
loss  to  understand  the  temper  of  our  affections. 

"  But  all  this  was  after  we  came  to  live  on  the  island. 
We  were  removed  thither  early  in  the  second  year  of  our 
imprisonment,  with  the  same  precautions  and  secrecy  to 
which  in  a  measure  we  had  now  grown  accustomed.  Of 
our  life  there  I  need  not  speak  in  detail,  you  have  all 
seen  the  place  and  know  how  quietly  and  monotonously, 
yet  withal  in  a  way  happily,  our  days  and  years  may 
have  glided  away.  We  had  every  comfort,  every  luxury 
that  could  be  devised.  We  were  safe,  we  were  peaceful, 
the  world  troubled  us  not.  I  could  have  been  almost 
content  had  it  not  been  for  my  wife ;  her's  was  a  stormy, 
restless  spirit,  and  although  as  the  years  passed  she  be- 
came more  tranquil,  she  never  lost  the  hope  that  one 
day  would  see  this  great  wrong  righted.  This  the  more 
since  the  child  had  grown  almost  before  we  were  aware 
of  it  into  a  man.  His  education  had  been  my  care,  and 
it  was  an  alternate  joy  and  pain  to  me  to  observe  the  un- 
folding of  his  brilliant  mind.  Ah  I  what  a  ruler  he 
would  have  made,  bold,  brave,  yet  tender  as  a  woman, 
and  endowed  with  such  genius  as  the  world  has  rarely 
seen. 

473 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

"As  he  grew  older  he  chafed  sadly  at  the  narrow  con- 
fines which  encompassed  him.  And  in  a  terror  lest  he 
should  try  to  escape  us  to  a  certain  destruction,  I  en- 
deavored to  direct  his  mind  to  architecture,  to  painting, 
to  science,  to  sculpture,  in  which  branches  I  was  myself 
but  indifferently  skilled.  My  pupil  quickly  outstripped 
me  in  all,  and  that  without  apparent  effort.  After  a 
time  these  occupations  palled  on  him,  and  one  day,  that 
which  we  had  feared  so  long  came  upon  us ;  he  attempted 
to  escape  from  the  island.  He  failed,  and  was  brought 
back  unhurt, — would  God  he  had  perished  then  ! 

"  After  this  he  seemed  on  a  sudden  to  grow  old  ;  and 
indeed  the  years  had  fled  away  so  softly,  albeit  slowly, 
that  it  was  hard  for  us  to  realize  that  he  was  no  longer  a 
child,  but  a  man,  on  whom  the  sun  of  life  had  already 
begun  to  go  down.  He  brooded  much  alone  and  in  si- 
lence. What  he  thought  he  unfolded  to  no  one.  It  was 
during  this  time  that  he  caused  the  marble  tomb  to  be 
built ;  he  himself  sculptured  the  angel  which  stands 
guardian  over  it. 

"'Here  I  shall  lie  at  rest,'  he  said  to  me.  'And 
the  fever  will  have  burned  itself  into  ashes — God  grant 
that  it  be  soon,  for  why  should  I  live  ?' 

"  I  did  not  answer  him.     How  could  I  ? 

"After  a  little  he  turned  to  me  and  spoke  again. 
'I  have  only  known  one  name  in  all  my  life,'  he 
said, — my  wife  had  always  called  him  Louis,  as  was 
indeed  his  right, — 'but  here  I  would  fain  write  my 
father's  name.'  And  he  looked  at  me  beseechingly. 

"Words  failed  me  ;  I  could  only  groan  aloud.     The 

next  day  I  stole  again  to  the  place  in  secret,  and  there 

I  saw  cut  deep  into  the  marble  by  his  own  hand  the 

single  word  Eheu.     I  found  that  my  wife  had  also  seen 

474 


THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

it,  for  when  we  were  alone,  she  told  me  that  she  had 
determined  to  tell  him  all,  and  that  come  what  might 
she  would  have  no  further  hand  in  deceiving  him.  I 
endeavored  to  dissuade  her,  but  without  success.  That 
night  she  told  him  ;  I  came  upon  them  just  as  she  was 
kneeling  before  him  kissing  his  hand.  I  could  not 
help  kneeling  also.  He  was  the  king.  One  could 
see  it. 

"He  was  very  gentle  with  us  both,  saying  little  for 
several  days ;  then  he  asked  me  a  number  of  questions 
which  showed  that  he  had  gotten  information  from 
some  source  to  which  I  myself  had  not  access.  He 
finally  told  me  that  he  had  bribed  the  Portuguese,  Jos6 
de  Miguel,  to  whom  had  been  intrusted  the  bringing 
of  supplies  to  the  island.  I  feared  the  man,  but  my 
wife  was  persuaded  that  we  had  found  a  useful  tool 
ready  to  our  hand.  All  the  money,  jewels  and  plate, 
left  us  by  our  thieving  seneschal — who  had  strangely  dis- 
appeared a  number  of  years  since — I  had  myself  always 
secretly  suspected  this  de  Miguel  of  a  hand  in  the  mat- 
ter— everything  of  value,  as  I  have  said,  was  passed 
over  to  the  man  de  Miguel.  In  return  he  furnished  us 
with  the  yacht  L? Esperance,  which  has  played  so  won- 
derful a  part  in  your  adventures.  It  was  christened  by 
the  king,  as  we  now  chose  to  call  him  between  our- 
selves. We  had  planned  to  escape  in  her  to  England, 
where  we  hoped  to  find  asylum  and  redress.  This  at 
least  was  the  plan  which  the  king  and  my  wife  made 
with  de  Miguel.  He  was  to  furnish  sailors  for  the  ship 
and  all  needful  provisions.  I  myself,  as  I  have  said, 
distrusted  the  man,  and  after  much  thought  I  managed 
to  send  a  dispatch  to  England,  by  the  hand  of  a  com- 
mon sailor  on  board  the  lugger  in  which  de  Miguel 
475 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

used  to  visit  the  island.  I  had  little  hope  that  my  mes- 
sage would  ever  fall  into  the  hands  of  those  to  whom  it 
was  addressed.  It  did  ;  but  alas,  too  late  ! 

' '  De  Miguel  betrayed  us  to  the  French  government 
just  as  our  plans  were  ripe — for  I  know  not  how  much 
gold,  and  one  dreadful  day  saw  a  French  frigate  an- 
chored to  our  leeward.  We  were  seized  without  an  in- 
stant's warning,  every  soul  on  the  island,  great  and 
small,  and  carried  aboard  the  vessel.  All  were  gagged 
and  bound,  but  upon  the  face  of  the  king  was  forced  a 
mask  of  black  velvet,  secured  behind  by  a  band  and 
lock  of  iron.  At  sight  of  this  outrage  on  the  sacred 
person  of  him  whom  she  loved  with  all  the  intensity 
of  a  mother,  my  wife  fell  down  in  strong  convulsions ; 
when  they  lifted  her  it  was  found  that  she  was  dead.  I 
was  glad  when  I  saw  it.  If  only  it  might  have  been 
for  us  all ! 

"I  never  saw  the  king  again.  I  was  confined 
closely  on  board  ship,  being  never  permitted  to  speak, 
and  upon  landing  I  was  thrust  into  a  foul  dungeon  of 
the  Bastile,  where  I  languished  for  many  months.  How 
it  happened  that  I  was  ever  again  suffered  to  see  the 
light  of  the  sun  I  do  not  know,  but  certain  it  is  that  I 
was  one  day  taken  out  and  placed  aboard  a  vessel  bound 
for  America.  I  have  since  thought  that  it  was  some 
strange  blunder  on  the  part  of  my  jailors.  Be  that  as 
it  may,  our  vessel  was  shipwrecked,  and  after  days  of 
suffering  during  which  I  prayed  in  vain  for  death,  I  was 
rescued  in  the  manner  which  is  already  known  to  you. 
Heaven  willed  that  this  tale  must  be  told.  But  now 
my  soul  can  pass  in  peace." 

The  speaker's  voice  died  away  into  silence;  his 
head  sank  upon  his  breast.  Baillot  sprang  forward  in 
476 


THE  CASTAWAY'S  STORY 

alarm,  thinking  that  life  had  indeed  fled,  but  the  old 
man  was  still  breathing  feebly.  They  raised  him  ten- 
derly and  laid  him  upon  a  couch,  while  Madame  de 
Langres  hastened  to  administer  a  restorative.  After  a 
little  he  opened  his  eyes ;  they  were  bright  with  the 
light  of  another  world. 

"  I  am  going,"  he  said,  in  a  stronger  voice  than  be- 
fore, "and  something  tells  my  spirit  that  all  will  yet  be 
well.  My  king  shall  be  happy  in  that  place  where  are 
gathered  together  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  and 
the  glory  of  them.  And  I — shall  be  with  him.  But  I 
have  yet  one  word  for  you  who  shall  remain  behind. 
The  treasure,  which  the  seneschal  had  hidden  away, 
and  which  he  continued  to  guard  in  death,  was  mine. 
I  leave  it  to  be  divided  equally  between  the  men  who 
saved  my  life."  And  having  thus  made  his  peace 
with  the  world,  the  weary  sufferer  lay  back  upon  his 
pillows,  content  and  tranquil  to  await  the  end. 

It  did  not  come  for  several  days,  and  those  who 
watched  him,  had  begun  to  hope  that  perhaps  he  might 
yet  recover,  so  peaceful  was  he,  and  so  bright  a  light 
shone  in  his  strange  eyes.  But  it  was  not  to  be.  As 
he  slept  one  day  he  ceased  breathing,  so  quietly  that 
Baillot  who  was  watching  by  his  bed  did  not  know 
when  the  last  sigh  left  his  smiling  lips. 

Not  long  after  the  old  man's  burial,  Madeline  de 
Langres  and  Henri  Baillot,  Comte  de  Lantenac,  were 
married,  the  Huguenot  pastor  performing  the  simple 
ceremony.  But  there  was  no  lack  of  that  heartfelt  joy, 
which  is,  after  all,  heaven's  peculiar  benison  on  those 
who  truly  love. 

As  for  that  redoubtable  mariner,  Jack  Winters,  he 
conceived  a  hearty  liking  for  the  ex-pirate,  Goujet. 
477 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

" He's  a  mighty  good  sort,"  he  declared,  "an*  a  sea- 
farin"  man  after  my  own  heart.  Since  the  yacht  Z' Es- 
perance  has  been  giv'  to  me,  to  have  and  to  hold  from 
this  day  for'ard — an*  a  tighter  craft  you  won't  find  high 
nor  low — he's  agreed  to  ship  with  me  for  tradin'  be- 
twixt Boston  an'  the  other  colonies  on  the  coast.  It'll 
suit  us  both  to  anchor  frequent,  near  them  as  is  in  port 
to  stay." 


478 


APPENDIX 


"THE  Man  with  the  Iron  Mask"  is  the  strangest 
figure  in  all  history.  The  facts  presented  in  the  pre- 
ceding narrative  determine  the  identity  of  this  sphinx- 
like  apparition,  and  that  without  a  shadow  of  doubt. 
The  document  containing  these  facts,  as  set  down  by 
the  hand  of  Henri  Baillot,  Comte  de  Lantenac,  was 
preserved  for  many  years  with  other  family  papers  in 
the  very  treasure-cask  which  figures  in  the  story.  When 
it  lately  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  author  there  seemed 
no  longer  any  reason  why  the  story  should  not  be  told. 

History  tells  us  that  the  unfortunate  being  known  as 
"The  Iron  Mask"  was  confined  in  the  island  of  Ste. 
Marguerite  in  the  Mediterranean  sea,  for  a  short  time 
previous  to  the  year  1698.  Where  he  lived  before  that 
time  no  one  knows ;  though  some  authorities  are  of  the 
opinion  that  he  was  at  one  time  kept  in  a  castle  at 
Pignerol,  Savoy.  He  was  never  seen  without  the  mask 
of  black  velvet,  nor  was  his  identity  ever  disclosed, 
though  a  hundred  conjectures  have  been  risked  as  to 
who  the  mysterious  personage  could  be,  who  was  treated 
with  such  strange  forbearance  in  an  age  of  the  world 
when  all  inconvenient  persons  were  hurried  with  but 
scant  ceremony  off  life's  stage. 

In  the  year  1698  we  hear  of  him  at  the  Bastile; 
where  so  far  as  is  known,  no  man  save  the  governor 
ever  saw  his  face  or  heard  his  voice.  Twice  this  un- 
479 


PRISONERS  OF  THE  SEA 

happy  being  tried  to  communicate  with  the  outside 
world  ;  once  with  words  which  he  scrawled  with  his 
own  blood  upon  a  linen  shirt ;  and  again  by  means  of  a 
silver  plate  upon  which  he  had  scratched  a  message,  and 
which  he  threw  out  of  the  window  of  his  dungeon.  The 
persons  who  found  these  articles  died  without  apparent 
cause  immediately  afterward,  without  having  divulged 
their  secret. 

During  his  residence  in  the  Bastile  this  mysterious 
personage  was  waited  upon  at  table  and  at  his  toilet  by 
the  governor  himself,  who  permitted  no  one  to  handle 
any  article  used  by  him.  His  linen  was  at  once  de- 
stroyed after  being  used.  The  mask,  which  became  his 
distinguishing  characteristic,  was  composed  of  black 
velvet,  securely  fastened  behind  with  steel  springs.  It 
was  never  removed,  even  at  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
breathed  his  last  at  the  Bastile,  November  19,  1703,  and 
was  buried  the  following  night  with  great  secrecy  in  the 
cemetery  of  St.  Paul,  under  the  name  of  Machiati.  His 
twin  brother,  known  to  the  world  as  Louis  XIV.,  "  Le 
Grand  Monarque,"  died  September  i,  1715. 

The  island  on  which  "The  Man  with  the  Iron 
Mask"  passed  his  earlier  and  happier  years,  was  evi- 
dently, like  the  Azores  group,  of  volcanic  origin.  It 
remained  desolate  and  uninhabited  till  the  year  1811, 
when,  during  the  convulsion  which  saw  a  volcano  sud- 
denly emerge  from  the  sea  to  the  height  of  three  hun- 
dred feet,  and,  after  discharging  vast  quantities  of  lava, 
stones  and  cinders,  as  suddenly  disappear,  it  also  sank 
beneath  the  waves  of  the  Atlantic  to  be  seen  no  more. 


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